In response to the public’s current penchant for anger, even at the slightest social or personal provocation, the psychological community is having a field day with group therapies, stress counseling, and exercise regimens.
In short, Anger Management has taken the mental health industry by storm, and is in its glory days. It is ideal therapy for the reason-deprived citizens who have temper tantrums, bash skulls at football games, occasionally hit their spouses, and are major contributors to road rage.
On the other hand, when you look beyond the local scene into the murky depths of world politics, international crises, erroneous foreign policy, and domestic secrecy and cover-ups Anger Management doesn’t work at all, because otherwise well-meaning Americans—God help them--- don’t see or hear anything to get angry about.
Millions of peaceful, non-confrontational citizens mind their own business, seldom think past their daily news, never get into trouble, and on hearing shocking political news on TV, sadly shake their heads and say, “Isn’t that just awful.” No anger, no indignation, no disgust, nothing. In such cases, Anger Management isn’t needed, but Anger Mismanagement has a big patient list waiting.
Anger Mismanagement means not trying to halt or manage your anger but to have the courage and conviction to hold nothing back, to let it all out, when and where it does the most good, and is most needed.
Anger Mismanagement finds its purpose in today’s American politics, with its hegemonic world conflicts and dominion, stupid foreign policy decisions, and domestic
corruption promulgated by greedy, agenda-driven human beings working in secret political back-alleys that honest, ethical people find abhorrent, decidedly un-American, dangerously unconstitutional, and often on the cusp of treason.
Anger Mismanagement is badly needed here:
How did you feel when you heard that illegal aliens are stampeding into America and the Bush administration turns its back on the problem?
If you started to get angry but “managed” it, you copped out on your country.
You should have been spitting mad, and said so. When your ancestors came over here they had to take the oath of allegiance, learn some English, and have their beards inspected for lice. And none of them got a free anything. That should make your blood boil.And when you heard that Bush has signed a document that will make America, Mexico, and Canada one nation called the North American Union, what was your reaction? Did you think: “I don’t like it, but now at least I won’t need “papers” to go back and forth,” Instead, of venting your anger you “managed” it, and in so doing, you lost your cedibility as a concerned citizen. You may also lose your country.
If this law passes, America will lose its sovereignty, cheap labor will cross borders, our standard of living will suffer, and the American dream will become a nightmare. All because you and others didn’t bother to get blistering mad about it.
And when you heard that the Bush administration is intent on making America part of the New World Order, was your first thought: “What’s the big deal? We all live in the same world, don’t we?”
Yes, we do. But knowing that most of the world doesn’t have our high standard of living. and that our founders suffered and died to give us the freedom and independence we enjoy, you still didn’t get your back up. You are determined not to get angry. How noble. But when America is gradually reduced to “third world” status and you’re scuffling just to sustain your family with the necessities of life, you’ll kick yourself for not getting fighting mad soon enough. And well you should.
And when you discovered that a cabal of neo-con “new worlders” are actually running our government, NOT the true Republican party, you might have said to yourself: “Why get upset ? Doesn’t ‘neo-con’ mean “new Conservative? What’s wrong with that?” Plenty. Neo-cons are an elite cabal of well-educated, well-healed “one worlders” who “stole” the mantle of Conservatism and are now implementing the systematic dissolution of the United States in a treacherous power play that will usher in tyranny, with the destroyers of our Constitution calling the shots. But you didn’t bother to voice any anger and demand a halt to this dangerous development. You sat back and did nothing. What happened to the courage and patriotism you bragged so much about?
And when, after four years, 2,900 American soldiers and marines are dead, 30,000-plus are wounded, thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens (including children) have been killed, top generals concede the war is being lost, the cost of the Iraqi war ($380 billion so far) is draining our economy, you hear President Bush, in denial of reality, say: “We will not cut and run, we will stay the course.” you were disgusted and your anger boiled to the top, But you put a clamp on it and never let it out.
Why, for God’s sake? Have Americans lost their grit and guts? Have we become a nation of silent observers as “Rome burns.” Are we willing to accept the worst thing that can happen to America and to us, without a murmur, a complaint, a dissent? Without a fire in the belly, clenched fists, and a healthy outburst of justified anger?
In the movie, “Network”, activist Howard Beale stands before the TV cameras and angrily takes the big corporations and the collusive Government to task. He rails at the culture of corruption, mishandling of public funds, gross irresponsibility, rampant nepotism, and disenfranchisement of the middle class. Then in a booming voice he challenges the TV audience to open their windows and shout to the world: “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore! I’M MAD AS HELL AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” And the streets, one by one, rang out with anger.
Are there no more Howard Beales left in America?
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