On the other side are Democrats and plenty of Republicans led by Chamber of Commerce types-- who just want thing to go back to normal, and know that the only viable path back to normalcy is through vaccinations. These groups are not equal. The latter the back-to-normal vaccinaters are FAR larger than the government-overreach Trumpers. But per the latest CNN poll, the Trump base is angrier over the current state of affairs than are the rest of the country. And that rage closes the numbers gap -- mostly because Republican elected officials are willing to do whatever it takes to stay on the right, rage-filled side of the base.
And, of course, Trump both benefits from and foments that rage. One exampl;e of many came Thursday in the wake of the Robert E. Lee statue being taken down in Richmond Virginia. Anger cannot stay suppressed for very long.
It will eventually burst forth, striking out -- often indiscriminately. We saw that on January 6 when rioters -- egged on by Trump and his most loyal allies -- rioted at the US Capitol, leaving five people dead and more than police officers wounded.
And there are already dire warnings coming from law enforcement officials about a planned right-wing rally in Washington a week from Saturday.
Citizens are called upon and trained by political parties, media, advocacy organizations, platforms, corporations — and more — to become propagandists, even without realizing it. Though both sides of the political spectrum can and have used the new propaganda, it has been embraced more on the right, largely to counter the old manufacture of consent model embraced by the mainstream.
The Jan. Courts and election officials certified the integrity of the election. When Trump told people to march on the Capitol to defend their freedom, they did. But the Big Lie that led to the Jan. The legitimacy of the American political system requires the actual consent of the governed, and its vitality and health requires we allow actual dissent.
This creates a culture of public-shaming as we channel our frustration about our own safety measures into how we deal with others. Outbursts of anger or frustration directed at others have become fairly common throughout the pandemic. All of these people stated that anger was a primary driving force behind these confrontations. One thing this study failed to find is any connection between these outbursts of anger and improved positive emotions. Anger often breeds more anger and traps us in a vicious cycle.
We spoke to Dr. For Greene, the link between the pandemic and anger is tenuous. But it can also be counterproductive from a public health perspective. I highly recommend that. After all, the gravitational pull is toward unhealthy, not health. You and I need help. Twitter and Instagram can wait a day too. Strangely, though, they might die a little if you continue to assassinate them in the heat of the moment.
If you really get triggered by your critics, this might help. Critique is different than criticism. A critique aims to build up, not to tear down. But what you have to say should help people get better and feel better. Thanks Carey. This reminder is so needed today when we are all tempted to respond first, think later. Then, just as a critique and not criticism, have you noticed how many typos there are in your content? Thanks Carey for an insightful article with concrete suggestions on a pertinent topic.
Mike — Does it really matter if there are typos? And is this the best place to raise that concern? Over time, constant dripping wears away rock and iron; people are made of much softer things.
Hi Carey, Thanks once again for an informative blog on a most relevant topic in our world today. I really appreciated your insights and how you can dissect an issue with clarity and precision of words. If I may be so bold as to ask one question of you: How much do you see yourself as a pastor and how much as a prophet in our times?
I overlay these questions with an understanding of you speaking into both the secular and Christian leader context. I will continue to read and listen to your material as I have been truly blessed by it many times. God bless you Carey. Hi Steven, Carey is on sabbatical so this is Lauren from his team answering on his behalf.
As far as scripture references, this is something we try to be very deliberate on and are constantly trying to balance. Additionally, Carey is not pastoring his readers — he is providing leadership resources that he hopes will help others lead well not only in their churches, but also in their non-profits, businesses, volunteering, parenting, and relationships, as a significant number of his readers are not in ministry.
There are so many scriptures that COULD be referenced for each of these applications, but would make the material un-readable if we included them all. I hope this is helpful. We are cheering for you and grateful for you! They are not the same. Too many people today equate disagreement, or even anger at the consequences of a position with hate. And they always blame the one who opposes, not the one who is promoting a lie or immorality.
Well said and distinguished. Thank you for pointing this out. Thanks so much for this and especially for the suggestions about how to counter our own impulses. Even off social media, the suggestions help. Recently I found myself getting really irritated with a church volunteer who is not taking responsibility their job is important, but the situation is not wrecking the church.
Every time I think about it, I get uncharacteristically angry with the volunteer. So a few weeks ago I decided that I my first step was to pray for them for 40 days before doing anything!
It sure has changed me, and I hope will give me clarity about the way forward. Very good article. I would recommend reading The Mark of A Christian by Francis Schaeffer for those who are struggling with the issues Cary brought up here.
The mark of a Christian, according to Schaeffer, is love. Though a little different, it still illustrates an important point. We live in a culture of negation:. You can almost be as stupid as a cabbage as long as you doubt.
Well a good single man like me can very easily hate God, that is for sure. That moron never gave me a good wife and family to share my life with. Then again if God had been very smart like the old days, then i would had met a good woman with no problem. God made just too many very nasty low life loser women these days unfortunately, especially the ones that will Curse at many of us single men for no reason at all when we will try to start a conversation with a woman that we think would be very nice to meet.
And there are many of us men out there really looking for love, and these women that he created nowadays are very pathetic altogether. And i know other friends that had women Curse at them for no reason as well. What is up with that by the way? No wonder why our family members were very lucky in the past when they met one another.
Sure they did, most women back then were very normal compared to today. The last 3 days have been bouncing from tears to baking to ranting to praying.
And in between attempting to pastor a stunned and hurting congregation. Your article explains why we have become so bitter and sometimes even physically hurt each other. Thanks for sharing. I pay a visit day-to-day some web pages and websites to read articles, except this blog gives quality based content. But reading them again is convicting for me.
I have to admit, I think often I post things to be noticed. A bit of transparency from my end is that I have thought that people would be better off so to speak with the knowledge I have. And then after posting it, I often regret that. So this has helped me. Thank you! I want to be better at actually being outward focused rather than hoping someone will just learn from my words.
This is a great article. So timely. I have been wrestling with the same thing. As a matter of fact, I have decided to do a sermon series on how to navigate this minefield of angry trolls. I have to be honest in saying that I have not been immune to the anger. I think part of it is hurt. As a Black man in America, I have been the victim of racism in a white church.
I have to confess that I have responded out of anger. They fail to realize that better is not the same as equal. So, I respond because I feel I have a responsibility to prove that my experience is valid and maybe I do. However, can I share it in a way that is not out of hurt, frustration, or invalidation? This is the challenge and this article helps. So…thanks Carey.
I think the author meant well. He was addressing a timely issue. When I read the article it, was like reading Chapter One of a dissertation. You have to get your problem and purpose statement etc to align to address the phenomenon.
You then get to your Chapter Three and you repeat the same things from Chapter One with a little meat based on the methodology. It was too repetitious, noting new was offered after section one, he was just saying the same thing in a different way.
However, as I indicated I do believe he meant well. What do we do with anger? Anger is a God given response to threat, of any kind really. Thank you Carey. I really needed this today. So much negativity flying around…even from people that are normally very positive and encouraging.
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