Day: February 28, 2019
Why Is Everyone So Angry?
As I read the news today I noticed there is a pattern to the stories. Some stories were uplifting, but most were about people getting angry. In one story a former Jeopardy champion criticized critics of the show’s new “All Star” format, in which former champions compete with former champions. He concluded by telling critics, “if they don’t like it; don’t watch it,” not exactly a great marketing strategy.
Emerging Patterns of Anger
After that I read that Spike Lee, got visibly angry and stormed out of the Academy Awards because the “Green Book” won best picture instead of his movie. I also read that Democrats are fighting internally about the Green New Deal…some like it and some don’t.
Also, most observers at the Oscars called Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s performance electrifying. However, one of the Spice Girls, Mel B, didn’t like their obvious chemistry as they performed together. She “felt bad” for Cooper’s girlfriend who sat in the first row. Then there was a story about an angry man who stabbed another man three times in a doughnut shop in California.
Of course, there are many daily stories about people who are angry with President Trump. And the anger and hatred directed towards the Covington Catholic High School students from the Black Hebrew Israelites is yet another example of this culture of anger. In fact, an NBC/Esquire survey indicated 7 out of 10 people are angered by something in the news at least once per day. There is anger about race, oppression, TV programs, losing and winning, legislation, wearing certain hats and just about anything else you might imagine…resentment, anger, outrage, violence!
Is Anger Fear in Disguise?
True, sometimes anger is justified, but increasingly the reactions we see seem to be way over the top. People fight, riot, disturb and destroy with seemingly no remorse. In fact, the NIH noted that more than 16 million Americans have a condition called intermittent explosive disorder…(people getting angry out of proportion with the circumstance). So I asked, where does all of this come from? I heard a scholar say once that anger is fear in disguise. There’s a lot of truth to that, but with the increase of anger we’ve seen lately, people must be awfully fearful. So how do we tone this down?
- First, for over two millennia churches and synagogues have been primary teachers of values. That’s where we learned to respect, serve and care for each other. It’s not surprising that the decline in church and synagogue attendance parallels the increase of anger and vitriol we see today. If houses of worship stepped up and had a more prevalent voice, the anger might start to abate.
- Second, to keep the attendance steady, some pastors tend to give people what they want rather than the truth that they need. Therefore, people aren’t learning to deal with life in a civil way, so they explode when they don’t get their way. The Gospel is life-changing and transformational, and scripture tells us to preach it in season and out of season. In other words, we need to preach it whenever we can, and remember the words of Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words.”
- Third, understand that people are different. Our challenge is to respect them and listen politely when they speak, regardless of how much we might disagree. As the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians, “Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.” A little more grace would be helpful.
- Finally, we don’t have to comment on everything. Sometimes the better side of discretion is shutting off the media and being quiet even on Facebook.
