Why is everyone so angry?
It seems that every time I turn around someone is ridiculously angry — TV pundits, radio hosts, bloggers, columnists, drivers, tax payers – everywhere. Even me.
Look at Diane West’s Thursday editorial entitled “Jimmy Carter makes me sick.” She argues it was all because he hugged a Hamas leader.
So what? Didn’t Jesus say love thine enemies? Would she have been happier if Carter would have instead shot the man, only to create further anger in his sons, brothers and friends?
But she’s not the only one on the angry-train. Propose that things are not simply black or white and the vitriol begins spewing.
Suggest that FOXNews might have a right-wing bias and you’re a left-wing nut-job chugging the Kool-Aid.
Suggest that 22 million government employees might be too many or that government might not be the best solution to every problem and you’re a crazy anarchist.
Suggest that maybe America’s foreign policy is part of the Middle East problem and suddenly you hate America and should move to another country.
Seriously, whatever happened to polite and reasonable discourse?
Read the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Each man spoke for about an hour before the other was given a chance for rebuttal. On today’s TV “debates,” a participant can’t talk for more than a minute before the host or another guest interrupts or yells.
I honestly don’t know where it’s coming from. Even the poorest American lives better than the richest king did 200 years ago. Indoor plumbing, electricity, refrigerators, electronics, combustion engines, grocery stores, power tools, inexpensive clothing, telecommunications, Google and a service economy where very few of us labor as intensely as most of our ancestors did.
Certainly there are some problems; I just don’t know what’s causing all the anger.
Maybe it’s our two-faced leaders. In public, they’re the defenders of morality, America and apple pie. In secret, they chase interns, blow our money and destroy our country.
Maybe it’s the baby boomers — the sons and daughters of the Greatest Generation. On the surface, they’re living longer, more fulfilling lives and soaking up every minute of it. Underneath, they borrow up to their necks, vote themselves government perks and seem to have no concern for the effect of their actions on future generations.
Maybe it’s the welfare cases. From far away, they’re simply the disadvantaged and downtrodden who need a leg up and helping hand from the government. Close up, they turn down jobs because welfare pays better, drive decent cars and stash their cell phones right next to their food stamps.
Maybe it’s the media. Their propaganda suggests that they are fair, balanced and principled while they provide the valuable service of up-to-the-minute news. Actually, though, they’re biased (both ways), shallow talking heads focused on selling sensationalism as news while walking hand-in-hand with official government representatives who continually try to scare the crappola out of us.
Maybe it’s because we’re told that global warming is real danger by someone who flies around the world in his private jet.
Maybe it’s because we used to be the savior of the free world, now we’re the bully.
Maybe it’s the economy. We’re told by our grandparents to save, but we watch as our government puts us further into debt and debases our currency.
It’s funny. I’m often accused of complaining without offering some type of solution, but I frankly can’t think of one. The only thing I really know is that day after day after day, we allow little fiefdoms to crop up everywhere. They tell us what to eat, how to act, how to protect ourselves, what to ingest and how to teach our kids. We have to ask permission to drive a car, build a house or land a job (try getting one without a federally approved social security number – good luck).
It seems that in the land of the free, we’re not free to do much without permission.
In a 2006 speech to the House of Representatives, Ron Paul asked this same question. He wrapped up by saying: “Yes Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of anger in this country. Much of it is justified; some of it is totally unnecessary and misdirected. The only thing that can lessen this anger is an informed public, a better understanding of economic principles, a rejection of foreign intervention, and a strict adherence to the constitutional rule of law. This will be difficult to achieve, but it’s not impossible and well worth the effort.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Until then, however, I’ll follow the words of another great American – Johnny Cash.
“I’d love to wear a rainbow every day/And tell the world that everything’s OK/But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back/’Till things are brighter, I’m the Man In Black.”
I’m your man in black, Statesboro. Go on — get it out of your system. Call Soundoff (489-4444). Call Connect’s That’s Blows (489-9479). Send me an email or two. Call my phone. Heck, even write me a letter (1 Proctor Street, Statesboro, GA 30458).
Go ahead and get it off your chest. I can take it. After all, I’ve had my feelings surgically removed.
It seems that every time I turn around someone is ridiculously angry — TV pundits, radio hosts, bloggers, columnists, drivers, tax payers – everywhere. Even me.
Look at Diane West’s Thursday editorial entitled “Jimmy Carter makes me sick.” She argues it was all because he hugged a Hamas leader.
So what? Didn’t Jesus say love thine enemies? Would she have been happier if Carter would have instead shot the man, only to create further anger in his sons, brothers and friends?
But she’s not the only one on the angry-train. Propose that things are not simply black or white and the vitriol begins spewing.
Suggest that FOXNews might have a right-wing bias and you’re a left-wing nut-job chugging the Kool-Aid.
Suggest that 22 million government employees might be too many or that government might not be the best solution to every problem and you’re a crazy anarchist.
Suggest that maybe America’s foreign policy is part of the Middle East problem and suddenly you hate America and should move to another country.
Seriously, whatever happened to polite and reasonable discourse?
Read the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Each man spoke for about an hour before the other was given a chance for rebuttal. On today’s TV “debates,” a participant can’t talk for more than a minute before the host or another guest interrupts or yells.
I honestly don’t know where it’s coming from. Even the poorest American lives better than the richest king did 200 years ago. Indoor plumbing, electricity, refrigerators, electronics, combustion engines, grocery stores, power tools, inexpensive clothing, telecommunications, Google and a service economy where very few of us labor as intensely as most of our ancestors did.
Certainly there are some problems; I just don’t know what’s causing all the anger.
Maybe it’s our two-faced leaders. In public, they’re the defenders of morality, America and apple pie. In secret, they chase interns, blow our money and destroy our country.
Maybe it’s the baby boomers — the sons and daughters of the Greatest Generation. On the surface, they’re living longer, more fulfilling lives and soaking up every minute of it. Underneath, they borrow up to their necks, vote themselves government perks and seem to have no concern for the effect of their actions on future generations.
Maybe it’s the welfare cases. From far away, they’re simply the disadvantaged and downtrodden who need a leg up and helping hand from the government. Close up, they turn down jobs because welfare pays better, drive decent cars and stash their cell phones right next to their food stamps.
Maybe it’s the media. Their propaganda suggests that they are fair, balanced and principled while they provide the valuable service of up-to-the-minute news. Actually, though, they’re biased (both ways), shallow talking heads focused on selling sensationalism as news while walking hand-in-hand with official government representatives who continually try to scare the crappola out of us.
Maybe it’s because we’re told that global warming is real danger by someone who flies around the world in his private jet.
Maybe it’s because we used to be the savior of the free world, now we’re the bully.
Maybe it’s the economy. We’re told by our grandparents to save, but we watch as our government puts us further into debt and debases our currency.
It’s funny. I’m often accused of complaining without offering some type of solution, but I frankly can’t think of one. The only thing I really know is that day after day after day, we allow little fiefdoms to crop up everywhere. They tell us what to eat, how to act, how to protect ourselves, what to ingest and how to teach our kids. We have to ask permission to drive a car, build a house or land a job (try getting one without a federally approved social security number – good luck).
It seems that in the land of the free, we’re not free to do much without permission.
In a 2006 speech to the House of Representatives, Ron Paul asked this same question. He wrapped up by saying: “Yes Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of anger in this country. Much of it is justified; some of it is totally unnecessary and misdirected. The only thing that can lessen this anger is an informed public, a better understanding of economic principles, a rejection of foreign intervention, and a strict adherence to the constitutional rule of law. This will be difficult to achieve, but it’s not impossible and well worth the effort.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Until then, however, I’ll follow the words of another great American – Johnny Cash.
“I’d love to wear a rainbow every day/And tell the world that everything’s OK/But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back/’Till things are brighter, I’m the Man In Black.”
I’m your man in black, Statesboro. Go on — get it out of your system. Call Soundoff (489-4444). Call Connect’s That’s Blows (489-9479). Send me an email or two. Call my phone. Heck, even write me a letter (1 Proctor Street, Statesboro, GA 30458).
Go ahead and get it off your chest. I can take it. After all, I’ve had my feelings surgically removed.