One thing that right and left wing media personalities have in common: they are both desperate to be hated. Attracting the hate of their ideological opposites has become a sad metric for success. If you’re not pissing someone off, you’re not doing your job. The same mentality has entered into the world of business and entrepreneurship. This ideal of hate-seeking is toxic to our culture, but effective because we are falling for the trick over and over. But who really benefits by keeping us angry all the time?
I am trying to leave the rage behind and focus on something more productive. In DC this past weekend during the protests, I saw someone wearing a button that said “if you aren’t angry, you’re not paying attention.” I am paying attention. But I’m trying not to stay angry.
Here’s another bumper sticker piece of advice worth considering: “don’t get mad, get even.” It’s true anger can inspire people to action. The problem is that for many, anger is only inspiring them to stay angry … which doesn’t help anyone. So the next time you watch or hear or read something that seems clearly designed to make you angry, stop for a moment and consider why. And then try to imagine something productive you can do about it.
