Irony and Coincidence

Coincidence is not Irony.

   The fact of one event following another is not in itself ironic. Nor is the fact of two events occurring at the same time. Quite often, they are coincidences and nothing more -- by chance, two events occur, related or unrelated.
   Moreover, a standard college freshman English composition list of terms defines irony as "a contrast of some sort."
   An irony, however, is a contrast of a specific sort, namely, when one expects one event but something different happens. The key here is expectation.

   Example: When an arch-conservative, outspoken Tea Party activist opponent of additional taxes votes for a bill that increases government revenue through higher taxes, that's ironic, because we would have expected the delegate to vote against anything that brings higher taxes.
   Similarly, when a gun lobby activist acts to strengthen laws against multiple purchases of firearms, that's ironic, because gun lobbyists are typically against stiff controls. And some are opposed to controls of any kind.