Is it true that all garden gnomes are ironic gnomes, or does it depend on class?
Is it true that anytime a Brit puts a garden gnome in his well cared-for garden, he is making an ironic statement? What about the more ommon folk? Could it be that they really think that these gnomes are in good taste? For that matter, what of the upper-uppers? If the Duke of Devonshire puts up a garden gnome, can one presume that he has no care in the world as to whether it's in fashion, or would he only put it up to be ironic?
I'm really including this because 'ironic gnomes' is my new favourite phrase. In fact, I'm thinking of starting a musical group just so that I can call it 'The Ironic Gnomes.'
I get what this person is getting at, but I think perhaps the word they are looking for is 'kitsch' - appropriating tackiness as a clever kind of post-modern statement on taste... I suppose. Or perhaps garden gnomes are ironic because in the land of gnomes, they put ceramic humans?
