A little over three years ago I formulated the Anger Theorem, which is: The degree to which one is allowed to be angry, and at what, depends on how much power you have. The powerful can be as angry as they like, without criticism. But when those with less power are angry, they are condemned for it.
In the first “Who Gets to Be Angry” post I pointed out that right-wing white men are the only demographic in the U.S. allowed to display anger without social or cultural penalty. Right-wing white women are allowed to display anger if they are standing next to a white man who is angry about the same thing — call it ladies’ auxiliary anger. Otherwise, women who display anger are labeled “hysterical” or “whacky,” whereas a white man doing the same thing is “strong.” Men who are not white must also take care to be gentle of temperament, because right-wing white men have a pathological fear of black men displaying so much as mild pique. Or wearing hoodies.
Even white men can be slammed for anger if they are also “liberal” or “lefties,” although younger white guys generally aren’t used to being sensitive to the privilege rules and don’t hold back expressing themselves in angry ways. If there’s a big leftie demonstration, if somebody acts up and behaves badly it’s nearly always a young white guy.
Watch out for people who are enforcers of the anger rule, especially if they are on “your” side, because They Do Not Get It. Nancy Pelosi’s recent rebuke of Maxine Waters is an example. Rep. Waters didn’t call for violence; she called for confrontations. But she got slammed by Democratic leadership, including by Chuck Schumer.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said Sunday she was surprised to see Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticize her for advocating publicly confronting Trump Cabinet officials, but noted that political leaders “will do anything that they think is necessary to protect their leadership.”
“You know, I was surprised that Chuck Schumer, you know, reached into the other house to do that,” Waters said when asked by MSNBC host Joy Reid if she was surprised to see leaders in her own party criticizing her. “I’ve not quite seen that done before. But one of the things I recognize, being an elected official, is in the final analysis, you know, leadership will do anything that they think is necessary to protect their leadership.”
Yeah, Chuck, let’s not have a black woman’s back or anything. Gotta maintain that ol’ privilege.
So, white men (plus members of the ladies auxiliary) get to walk around with big guns, and that’s fine; if nonwhite men did exactly the same thing the Authorities would be calling out the National Guard to put them down. Well, you know how it all works.
Rep. Water’s calls for confrontation have been blown up by the Right as calls for physical violence. The Right, known for lacking a gene that enables appreciation of irony or hypocrisy, responded with death threats to Waters. And Chuck and Nandy throw her under the bus. Grand.
President Trump on Sunday blamed his opponents for the division in the country, warning that those who have spoken out against him should “take it easy.”
Trump appeared on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” where he was asked about recent incidents in which celebrities cursed him out and protesters demonstrated against members of his administration in restaurants and public spaces.
“I hope the other side realizes that they better just take it easy,” Trump said.
“Because some of the language used, some of the words used, even some of the radical ideas, I really think they’re very bad for the country. I think they’re actually dangerous for the country,” he added.
Translation, in the minds of wingnuts: It’s okay to shoot liberals (and racial minorities) on sight.
Trump is exhausting our mental capacity for indignation. This does not help Trump in the eyes of most Americans, to be sure. The Resistance remains strong and will likely have an impressive showing in the November elections.
But, along the margins, where both support for Trump and objections to him are soft, his tactics may have greater impact.
Not to mention the fact that those tactics keep his base riled and ready. Trump is like a drug dealer who has addicted his followers to fear and rage and keeps supplying it in constant doses. His supporters have become rage-junkies for whom he can do no wrong.
Anger doesn’t appease anger. Anger doesn’t do anything constructive, frankly. But we’re past the point that there’s anything to be gained by tip-toeing around right-wing anger to not set it off. They’re angry that we can breathe.
Our team has darkies too but they know their place. Plus your team’s got way more of em. America’s a white evangelical country. Have you ever seen a negro Jesus? Nope. We all worship a white god. And guns. Do you really want to see pictures of colored Jesus springin up all over? How bout peace-loving black gay Jesus? Or worse yet, Arab-looking Jesus? The kind that sorta looks Mexican too?
We know what's best. Just do what we say.
There is nothing wrong in feeling or expressing anger as it is one of nature's emotions. If we never get angry about anything, we might just as well be doormats and let all those who do get angry walk all over us. However, I feel it is important to express anger appropriately. This is where the brain can be useful in helping us to analyze a situation and not fly off the handle. The brain and the heart, yang and yin need to work together to maintain balance. Humans have a hard time with this because we want to control everything. With the shape of the earth as it is, I think we're not doing a very good job. So much to learn.
Maxine Waters also said something like, "If you shoot at me, you better shoot straight, …" Fox News evidently saw this as provocative, etc according to their standard lines of outrage. If a white male had said that, i.e. a Trumpkin, it was be seen as a sign of great courage and resolve, and the guy would get a medal.
But, she is being courageous and resolute, she's taking a real chance to keep faith with her beliefs, given the characteristics of the opposition. She deserves a medal.
I see clouds on the horizon that will rain on the Trump parade – bigly.
1) Cohen is going to flip. He has no intention of going to jail, much less dying there. He's a snake who knows where the bodies are buried. The only way Cohen does NOT flip is if he's pardoned, and then Cohen can't take the 5th. The FBI has tons of documents of Cohen misdeeds which include Trump business dealings not covered by privilege. Cohen is screwed by any NY state offenses which can't be covered by a pardon.
2) Mueller has the goods on Trump. I say that with confidence because of Trump's herculean efforts to derail Mueller. It's there. It's big. It will come out. Mueller has the evidence squirreled away in various locations beyond Trump's reach.
3) The NAFTA negotiations are going to fail – bigly. The newly elected president of Mexico is left-leaning and ant-Trump. Trudeau called out Trump for being a bully, pretty much in those words.
4) Trump won't get his wall. The last desperate attempt will happen just before the mid-terms and Trump might shut down the government. That was an unpopular strategy when the GOP tried it for 2 weeks. That's exactly the wrong moment to do a shutdown for the GOP. Please!
5) The Trade War is a failure and Trump does not know. I suspect corporate buybacks of the stocks that are getting dumped are hiding the fact the Dow is tanking. The strategy of buybacks are going to backfire because if the Trade Wars continue, the bubble will burst and you will think the Dow fell off a cliff. Time frame; one, maybe two quarterly reports.
6) We might leave NATO. Trump may OK the Russian invasion of Crimea. The WTO and G7 may kick us out. The US economy will feel the hit pretty fast when prices for goods go WAY up and exports don't exist anymore.
7) The Democrats will take the House and open investigations into Trump, HHS, ICE the graft of various cabinet heads… The budgets which have to originate in the House won't include what Trump demands and the Senate will be in a 60 vote mode.
8) The House will draw up Articles of Impeachment and the Senate will not impeach in 2019. The public show of a trial will allow Democrats to parade the proof from the Mueller investigation of a quid pro quo conspiracy to give Putin what he wants in exchange for election help. Treason.
I'm talking about the next 12 months. When the GOP refuses to impeach, 70% of the electorate will be enraged. Including me. The demands to prepare criminal charges for Trump the minute he leaves office will grow at the federal level and NY state. (Cohen knows all the violations in NY.) In 2018, private lawyers with DOJ experience working with the Mueller files will begin preparing the prosecution – publicly. Remember the bloody Trump head? It will be the symbol of an Obstruction of Justice trial which the Democrats will DEMAND from 2020 candidates – that an new president will require of a new AG.
By the third year of Trump's presidency, he will either have to assume non-Constitutional powers (as king regardless of the next election) OR flee to Russia (not hyperbolic) as the only place outside the reach of the DOJ when a Democrat is sworn in as president.
Rude? You aint seen nuthin' yet.
"Rep. Maxine Waters ….was surprised to see Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer criticize her for advocating to publicly confront Trump Cabinet officials"
Well I don't normally agree with Chuck and or Nancy on much but on this they are right. Maxine is an elected member of congress, I don't want to see our elected officials devolve into the louie gohmert and steve kings of the right. I agree that the trumpkins need to be confronted, but calling for citizens to confront other citizens in public is just plain fucking wierd? They need to be confronted in mass protests and at the polls. As for ICE it certainly needs to be reformed, realigned, redefined but not abolished. Are we just going to trust everyone who comes into the country from abroad? ICE is most certainly abusing it's authority under Trump, but so is the EPA, the SEC, DOJ, are we going to call and end to them as well? Trump is a corrupt miscreant, every agency under his control is going to erode the trust it has with the public, we need to get rid of Trump not the executive branch altogether? Running around calling for public confrontation of administration officials and abolishing ICE is exactly what will steer moderates into the tRump camp. Lets get real! We need mass protests and mass voting!
1. Right on post, Maha. Volumes could be written on this. Who is allowed to speak and who is not.
2.uNcledad politics is personal. Tell that to black men shot in the back, women who are paid less and have no equal rights admendment and stand to lose v.wade and Griswold is next.tell immigrants who have their children taken away to do mass protests. Protest may get a photo, but becomes meaningless. The right needs face to face challenge because their megaphones had run roughshod over us for too long.
Uncledad, anyone who calls themselves a moderate but votes Republican is a liar. Republicans vote Republican, period. There is no such thing as a "moderate" racist. There is no such thing as a "moderate" bigot. Or a moderate nazi.
Doug:
From your keyboard to God's monitor.
But alas, the orange traitor will do as much damage as he can while he falls.
While I can understand the criticism of Pelosi and Schumer it is wrong. Their comments are driven by, as Waters pointed out, by a self-serving focus on their careerism. Such a focus in this instance would also have to assume caging children is just a policy dispute and that these children and their parents are less than deserving of the consideration human beings extend to one another. Any one who can compartmentalize this in this way and not have any empathy for what's happening to these families can not be considered "moderate."
That's what makes this so despicable, and that's what makes this not a time for polite politics as usual. Although I might not have expressed it the same way Waters did, I agree these people should and deserve to be subjected to confrontation as well as public protest, since in supporting a policy like this they forfeit their right to consideration of decency just as they deny it to these families and their children. Think about it: they not only separate these families but they take their kids! And then don't tell them where they are. And they freely admit that this was not a necessary component but a purely punitive measure. I read the other day about an ICE agent who had just taken this woman's kids and derisively tells her happy mothers day. This aspect of the policy is unnecessary, its un American, its evil.
Think about your own damned kids and imagine if someone did that to you. Do you really think that if you came face to face with the person or persons responsible in public you would feel its more important that they be allowed to eat their burger and not be confronted? I think not.
Sorry for the rant but nothing rankles me more than people who detach policy from the real and devastating impact on people's lives and treat it as if its a some kind of game, when it doesn't impact them! People like tat don't deserve to eat in peace either.
I hope that Doug has the right scenario, and he well might. But, I'm finding that I'm in a partial "hope for the best, prepare for the worst" mode. If our institutions hold and the case against the Quislings is rock solid, then we just might see the end of this mess. But, as I have mentioned before, the people in power have done very little to guard against pernicious meddling in the midterms, and Putin's trolls have had plenty of time to formulate new strategies and prepare for round two. So, maybe we should expect something more efficient and virulent this time around.
I think approaching public officials in public places to express concern or oppose their policies takes the place of the old town hall meeting. The various, Wall Streeters and CEOs of this administration are used to issuing directives and policy without concern for "input." They haven't grasped the fact that they work for the American people, and so far no one has explained that to them. Regardless, our old SOPs haven't worked, and we're running out of chances, so as long as no violence is involved, I'm okay with raising a ruckus.
I just ran across this. It's off topic, but, maybe good background music.
https://youtu.be/fCCgtRy5vYE
Back in the day I was working in a program for traumatically injured people from Central America. They were nearly all agricultural workers. My Spanish was a lot better then and I got to hear a lot of good stories. One of the most memorable was a story about being in a group that had nothing to eat for a few days. They came across a javelina or peccary, and since they had nothing to hunt with except their bare hands, they drove it into a stream where they could drown it. It's a brutal tale, but, at least they got to eat.
I think of that and some other stories when I think of the people at the borders.
Well, I guess I got filtered. Maybe it's all for the best.
Here's a song.
https://youtu.be/fCCgtRy5vYE
New Living Translation John 2:15
"Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and turned over their tables."
A righteous anger is not out of order.
"anyone who calls themselves a moderate but votes Republican is a liar"
I don't think so, I know plenty of people who voted for Trump but have voted for Democrats in the past, many of them union blue-collar working stiffs, the fear mongering from Trump works on some of them. Trump and the right are masters at using fear, they have been doing this for years. If you think countering Trumps fear mongering about immigrants, MS-13, etc with calls for eliminating ICE is going to attract the center I have a bridge you might want to look at. The Democrats need to hold the center and the left in order to take back congress and the WH.
Uncledad, I work in a union shop of 800 plus and the hardcore 40% republicans never vote for a Democratic candidate. In my neck of the woods its guns guns guns. Democrats going to take your guns, tax your ammo, and did I mention take your gun?
They never vote Democratic, never.
Oh, and how did we manage for 225 yrs without ICE? Or photo ID for voting?
Is that you Kris Kobach?
When Conservatives have a rally, there are (a vast majority of) men marching around carrying long guns, shouting offensive chants.
When Liberals have a rally, there are gigantic puppets, and everone sings old folk songs.
When the "Cold Civil War" finally gets white-hot (pardon the sort-of pun), remember Liberals, you can't bring a puppet to a gun-fight!
1 out of 2 comments not eaten.
Victory!
csm…amen!
In a previous thread Bonnie had mentioned about the long term effects the trauma that these children will endure. How it changes the brain chemistry and that it's not a situation that many of these children will just get over without suffering varying degrees psychological damage. And to think that a policy implemented by our government that would intentionally inflict that kind of damage on children as a deterrent just shows how sick and evil the leadership of our nation is.
In June1959 my father passed away. My mother was left with 7 minor children to care for at 28 years of age. She worked as an attendant in a state mental hospital at a wage of $1.00 an hr. Not a good situation to be in.
In an effort to "help out" from the initial trauma of loosing my father, my grandparents stepped in, well intentioned , and arranged to lessen the burden on my mother by shipping four of us children off to various locations for the summer. My two brothers and I were shipped off to a WMCA camp, but because of my age I was separated from my brothers and sent to a different camp. Not a big deal for either me, or my brothers. Kind of an adventure.
But one of my sisters was sent to live with my aunt and uncle. My uncle was a Colonel in the army. His wife and him had a son, but always wanted a little girl. Somehow the idea that my sister would be given up for adoption was circulated within the family and my sister caught wind of that idea. My aunt and uncle were well to do and could offer financial and other advantages my mother could never hope to match. My mother never had any intention of parting with her child, but to my sister's young mind the idea that she would be put out of the family was a trauma that had damaging effects that she carried her entire life. The trauma of that separation instilled an insecurity in her that manifested itself in every relationship she ever had. She has since passed away, but in our final conversation in saying our goodbyes, she again brought up the pain of that experience. She took it to the grave.
What the loving intentions were that caused the trauma in my sister's life, not withstanding, it didn't change the end result. Children are resilient and can come through an ordeal like the separation cruelly inflicted on them by Trump and Sessions, but many of these children will be affected with life long damage.
I pray to a merciful God that Trump and Sessions both get necrosis. After all, the bible does tell us to be specific in our prayers.
I have noticed that two FB "friends" who are associates from a previous career feel quite free to criticize every flaw of Democrats, claim they are Independents, not Republicans, and yet never find fault with Republican leaders or policies. I have told one he is a Republican and just does not seem to know it. He denies it. I, however, am right. The other one I shall face down next time it happens.
You wrote a good post and I enjoyed it. I read all the comments, and they are to the point. But, at this stage I am too depressed to still be living here. I came from Europe in the 1960s to travel and I stayed as I thought the US was a better country than my own European country. Now I find myself, after having worked here decades, with no help for my husband with Alzheimer and using all my retirement money for his care – no friends anymore because people are scared of that disease. Then I look around me, am living in a new town, but still in a red Southern state where I know no one and won’t make friends, because you know I have a foreign accent. Here, everyone cheers for the president who is a degenerate wannabe dictator. All the TV ads for a new state governor are from Republicans who say they admire Mr. Trump, and by gosh, they’ll get rid of all those evil foreign human animals with kids.
Most of the US inner cities are falling apart, infra structures need urgent repair, public transportation is way behind other industrial countries as well as healthcare, most conservatives are oblivious to climate change, kids in school are not learning much and teachers are underpaid, and most all are sport fanatics – what can I say, it sounds to me like this country is getting close to 3rd world status. It will take a lot to change the minds of the Trump supporters who tomorrow will sing that this is the best country in the world, where everyone is free (as long as you are of the right color and religion…) They are blind to wealth inequity (the US wealth gap is worse than in Russia, Morocco, Iran and many other 3rd world countries) and they tolerate all the violence (the US is ranked the 10th most dangerous country in the world for women.) White conservative women will also cheer this great country, where almost 3 women are killed daily by domestic violence …I am not angry at all this, just very, deeply sad, and unfortunately don’t think much will change for the better, maybe someday, but not in my life time.
Angry? No, depressed, yes. Major changes are needed in the US. Where I live now, a Southern state, everyone cheers for the president who is a degenerate wannabe dictator. All the TV ads for a new state governor are from Republicans who say they admire and support Mr. Trump, and by gosh, they’ll get rid of all those evil foreign human animals with kids.
US inner cities are falling apart, infra structures need urgent repair, public transportation is way behind other industrial countries as well as healthcare, climate change is not on the radar, kids in school are not learning much and teachers are underpaid, and worries are forgotten by watching sport events – what can I say, it sounds to me like this country is getting close to 3rd world status. It will take a lot to change the minds of the Trump supporters who tomorrow will sing that this is the best country in the world, where everyone is free (as long as you are of the right color and religion…) They are blind to wealth inequity (the US wealth gap is worse than in Russia, Morocco, Iran and many other 3rd world countries) and they tolerate the violence (the US is ranked the 10th most dangerous country in the world for women.) White conservative women will also cheer this great country, where almost 3 women are killed daily by domestic violence …I am not angry at all this, just very, deeply sad, and unfortunately don’t think much will change for the better, maybe someday, but not in my life time.
Dickylee, of course your right, you must know every blue collar worker in the world, I'm sure you'd be an expert at the voting habits of every single last union stiff, what was I thinking?
Please delete one of my comments – they are duplicate as I thought the comment did not go through. Thanks.
The comments have been insightful and illuminating. I was going to chime in, but, I would probably just detract from the conversation. I'll have to give them all another read later.
Vagabonde, your comment really struck me. I think you got everything right. I know that it won't be any consolation, but, I think a lot of people living in southern, red states feel isolated, even if they were born here. The culture in my area is the stereotypical God, guns and anger. I have a lot of respect for Christianity, its history and wisdom. But, the "Christian" right has weaponized it, and it's morphed into something entirely different. The gun culture is worrisome. Sometimes I think it has a LARP/cosply angle to it. But, when you play at something so intensely for such a long period of time, there's a dangerous momentum to it. They don't seem to be living in the real world.
"'What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?' Frederick Douglass' 1852 speech still resonates in 2018"
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/what-american-slave-your-4th-july-frederick-douglass-1852-speech-ncna888736
"And in 2018, Douglass’ words still rattle and sear the soul. How can anyone celebrate our forefathers independence from tyrannical rule when we are witnessing in real time the separation of families and migrants, who emulate those who for generations sought refuge on these shores for our entire history? How can anyone celebrate the founding of this nation when civil liberties and systemic injustices yet persist for all who are non-white men?"
Its for this reason Independence Day has for quite some time not been so much of a "holiday" for me but something to endure. Even more so today. The flag wavers, ignorant of history and puffed up on their phony superiority, use this day as an excuse to "barbecue" and gorge themselves on hot dogs and beer, and blast away with fireworks, at the same time demanding fealty as a litmus test for being a "Real American."
"The gun culture is worrisome. Sometimes I think it has a LARP/cosply angle to it"
Goat, so true, many of these gun-humpers are more interested in getting dressed up in tactical gear and buying the latest assault rifle than they are in preserving what they perceive is their right to own a gun. It reminds me of some fly fisherman I know! It's silly and would be laughable if they weren't acquiring deadly weapons. I think this pic really sums it up, a bunch of out of shape wanna-bees, probably never served in the military but they want to play soldier, cosplay is a good description!
https://www.motherjones.com/wp-content/uploads/fifty-cal2000.jpg?w=990
How will it affect turnout in November if the religious right believes they have a majority who will overturn Roe? Single issue voters who think their single issue is now settled may stay home. Maybe not. Haven't seen much objective thinking of the effect on the right. Will they be energized by a 'victory' or quit the field of battle?
I'm pretty sure I know how women voters will react.
uncledad,
Those two goobers aren't happy because they just captured 'Hamburger Hill.'
They're happy because they ate a hill of hambugers!
Doug,
Don't worry.
If/when Roe is overturned, those loons will find something to hate that we Libtards love or like.
They live/love to hate. Hate's #2 to O2!
Trump flees to Russia?
And then Putin greets him with "You have failed me for the last time", and then Force-chokes Trump.
"They're happy because they ate a hill of hambugers"
Well yeah that and they are out in the desert going after ms-13, 14, 15 and little brown toddlers, mostly they are just proud to be part of the elite unit known as Meal team six!
"Single issue voters who think their single issue is now settled may stay home"
My experience with single issue voters is they always vote no matter what. They always perceive a threat, mostly imagined, but that is what makes them single issue, easily duped? Pro-lifers won't be happy with overturning Roe, they also want state religion, prayer in school, that will be the next issue for many of them. Most gun-humpers are single issue, they came out in droves against Obama even though he never once supported anything against the 2nd amendment. Single issue more, like single minded.
As an American Indian, I only look at the fourth of July as a day off. It does not represent independence to my people. Now, that I am retired, holidays are days when I can see my friends who work. That's nice.
This is isolated Anger Theorum, but true for gay Zen Buddhist men too, within a community which nominally celebrates everyone.
Women are finally allowed to be angry because they've been banging on the walls for 60 years and some of them are married to influential men, so by now everyone knows to duck when the china is launched, and applaud.
But if someone stabs a gay man in the groin with a blunt letter opener and he hollers ouch! Oh my heavens! He's causing a rift in a sea of peace!!! Those gays!! Noisy and selfish by temperament, they need to work on their anger issues while everyone glares at them! This works seamlessly when your main practice is to stare at a wall.
BTW someone I know told me about this.
Bill — having lived with and practiced with many gay and trans Zen students, I think whoever told you that was projecting. And just because women are finally being listened to sometimes doesn’t mean that a problem that has festered through most of human history has just disappeared.
Uncledad,
"Meal Team Six."
ROTFLMAO!!!!!
I AM SOOOOOOO STEALING THAT!
Cundgulag, go right ahead, I'm pretty sure I lifted it at some point as well!