Summary

The article discusses the nature of anger, particularly "righteous indignation," in the context of recent protests and law enforcement responses, emphasizing that all anger, regardless of its justification, can lead to negative consequences if not managed properly.

Abstract

The author of the article, "Understandably Angry is Still Angry," reflects on the wave of anger sweeping the nation, manifesting in peaceful protests and violent riots. This anger, fueled by perceived injustices and mistreatment, is often seen as justified or "righteous." However, the author points out that while the reasons behind the anger may be understandable, the expression of anger through violence or destruction is counterproductive. The article underscores the importance of distinguishing between different intensities of anger—one that is immediate and often violent, and another that is more subdued but no less significant. It argues that anger, regardless of its source, should not be dismissed or swept under the rug. Instead, the focus should be on channeling this justifiable anger into unified action towards resolving underlying issues. The author calls for rational discussions and a collective effort to address societal problems to prevent further escalation of violence and achieve lasting peace.

Opinions

The author believes that the aggressive response of law enforcement to protests is shameful and contributes to the escalation of violence.
There is an acknowledgment that not all protests start peacefully; some are intended to be riots from the beginning.
The article suggests that those who use their anger to justify violence are misguided, as anger is inherently irrational and can lead to savage behavior.
The author expresses that anger, whether righteous, understandable, or widely sanctioned, remains a destructive force if not handled constructively.
A key opinion is that society must not repeat past mistakes by failing to understand the irrational nature of anger.
The author is clearly upset about the injustices faced by many and emphasizes the need for change.
There is a strong call to action for people to come together and address these issues rationally to prevent future outbreaks of violence.
The article concludes with the idea that only through constructive, unified action can society move forward and achieve real peace.

Mental Floss

Understandably Angry is Still Angry

A tale of two intensities

No doubt you’ve heard the term “righteous indignation” thrown about from time to time. A wave of anger which by virtue of some mistreatment or atrocity against either us or someone else that by all accounts is perceived to be entirely justified.

What we’ve witnessed over the last several months has, on the one hand, caused a hysterically infectious, massive wave of sentiment which has generated protests and riots. A lot of the demonstrations we’ve witnessed have been peaceful assemblies of those who are angry with the current conditions and want to bring about real change.

Yes, they are peaceful until provoked, which saddens me. The overall aggressive responsive nature of our law enforcement officials to these protests is, simply put, a shameful disgrace.

Not that law enforcement is provoking all of the protests from peaceful to violent. Some of these protests were never intended to be peaceful at the onset.

These are the ones that started off being a riot and stayed a riot.

These are protests comprised of people who feel their anger should be understandable because of the consistent mistreatment they’ve received and believe they have the right to channel their anger and frustration into violence.

All over the country, we’re hearing of instances where hoards of angered protesters believe their righteous indignation and justifiable anger gives them the right to destroy property and or harm their fellow human beings.

Unfortunately for a lot of us, there’s a lot of outraged people in this country, folks. Rude, shallow, spitefully bitter angry people. Regardless of the anger’s justification, whether it’s righteous, understandable, or even sanctioned by most of the masses, it’s still anger.

People who refuse to take the time to understand anger isn’t, and never has been, a rational way of thinking are doing nothing but repeating mistakes many others have made in the past.

Anger is an emotion. A reactive, and often actionable response to an incident without the benefit of rational thought.

How someone handles that anger is what either keeps them in the decency category or reverts them to a savage individual who ravages property or attacks their fellow human being. This is true on both sides, whether it’s the civilian population or law enforcement.

Anger and understandable anger are, in actuality, two different intensities, and often perceived differently. One is immediately reactive and often blind to consequences. It’s raw and often violent, a white-hot flash of emotion that may burn for a very long time, or sputter out quickly.

Most of us have very little patience for that kind of hotheadedness.

However, understandable anger is often ignored or sometimes swept under the rug. Yes, the anger is being demonstrated in much the same way as unbridled anger, but we have a tendency to make allowances. Most of us tell ourselves the people demonstrating this type of anger have valid reasons for their actions.

Here’s the problem with this train of thought. Regardless of the anger’s justification, whether it’s righteous, understandable, or even sanctioned by most of the masses, it’s still anger.

Now, don’t get me wrong here, and this is important, so don’t gloss over this.

What has happened to a lot of our brothers and sisters is definitely something to get angry about. I, along with millions of others, are understandably upset about things. If you are an enlightened Human, what has happened and is still happening to a lot of our brothers and sisters just in our lifetime alone should definitely be pissing you off.

This shit has to change, and it has to change now.

But if we all lose our minds to anger, if we allow emotional rage to control us, we the Human race will be doomed. We all need to be sitting down at the table together and rationally coming up with a plan to beat this down once and for all. If we don’t, the anger will continue to fester and simmer, and this melting pot we all live in will boil over again, and again, and again.

More property will be destroyed, more lives lost, and more blood will flow in the streets.

Remember this. Whether your anger is a white-hot flash with no substantiation or a slow boil justified by years of socialized aggression, fury unleashed and uncontrolled serves no purpose aside from enacting bodily harm and destruction.

It will only be when our justifiable and understandable anger spurs us and others to take unified action toward an actual resolution that we as Humans will be able to move forward together in real peace.

Thank you so much for reading. You didn’t have to, but I’m certainly glad you did.

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