The art of listening to, or reading something you disagree with and then responding with passion, humor and intelligence is gone. The best ripostes combine analysis with humor. This devastating combination slays. But humor takes insight, insight usually requires thought, and thinking can be time consuming. Unfortunately outrage generates gets clicks, twitter followers, and sends eyeballs to your blog. Sadly outrage also allows people to feel secure in their world view, making it a useful tool for the money hungry.
I get a host of science, sports and political click bait. Of the three formats, my science feeds are the most likely to use humor. No doubt the authors are ladling humor so idiots like me won’t be overwhelmed by da big words. Commentators on sports and politics know three forms, analysis (so rare and so appreciated), hyperventilating over some minor issue and outrage over the inevitable stupidity of humanity. That politics and sport have adopted the same anger-management game plan seems natural in the fractured society that is twenty first century Amerika.
I can generate anger over income inequality, idiotic rollbacks of science based environmental policies, rapine corporate greed, racism, global warming or a host of other things I’m really fucking passionate about. But even though I’ve always blown up easily, I never could maintain anger over some societal issue. Anger never solves complex issues. Like arguing with your lover over cleaning, anger over societal problems inevitably becomes too much work for too little return.
The thing that anger does do very well is consumer segregation. You’re a right wing nut job in love with guns, here’s your soupçon of trope about socialist Jewish bankers coming for your guns in the middle of the night. You’re like me (depending on your political beliefs, I am either totally rational or so left wing I’m wacky) here’s ANYTHING with Trump’s name on it. Now froth for the camera and post us a selfie angry style! Hashtag #yourangerisourmoney. Facebook loves anger. Anger separates the angry into groups where the eyeballs are that much higher priced for advertising. I’m sure a crass marketer has pitched targeting white sheets to white nationalist Facebook groups. Spoiler alert, I’ve always thought social media like F-book a waste of time except for the travel pics, some amazing photography posted by a college friend I haven’t spoken to in decades, and WHATEVER my daughter or sister post. I’m a curmudgeon, not a fool.
I’ve lived nearly 60 years in a world awash with the problems that ring my bell, like greed, racism, environmental horror, police brutality, and dictatorships. Undoubtedly, the struggle against those problems will continue indefinitely. The haves like having-too-much, the despoilers like their jobs/profits, police work for the rich so they will from time to time brutalize to enforce the economic divide that racism and class-ism reap, and dictators love their money and the power. Our problems will persist. While some listen, no good comes from vitriol. The great heroes of our age all used love and/or inspiration to motivate change – from Ghandi, to JFK to King to Mandela, even Bernie. Mandela won because world opinion sided with his peaceful message and isolated Apartheid from international capital. How motivating would a race to the moon have been if Kennedy shouted I’m really fucking outraged the fucking Russians might fucking get there first?