This is hitting a spot for me - something I have been reflecting on a lot and you put it so eloquently. I shall be coming back to the post again and again. Thank you.
This is really great, thanks for bringing up something that I think gets lost in a lot of organizing 101s - that anger and rage are easy to co-opt, and they're hard to sustain a movement off of without something deeper and more grounding for people.
Thanks for writing about this issue, Joshua. I've been recognizing this for some time. People will post the outrageous just for clicks and engagement to make money.
I also feel it's hard to disengage. The journalists, writers, and others I follow are focused on the state of democracy in the US. I feel like one side is constantly controlling the conversation. Those I follow either respond or react to it. It also makes some of them a living. I get it, but I continue my own cycle of anger and helplessness.
Thus, I watch a lot of comedy and cat videos. There doesn't seem to be much more positive material on social other than that these days! In all seriousness, I do find ways to unplug and recharge. I hope others also find ways to manage their self-care.
Kelsey Blackwell, who writes The Drinking Gourd on substack published a post this week on shaking as a somatic practice to release and reset. I found her guided practice so helpful, and at least once a day have responded to something I read online by allowing a giant shiver to cascade through my body. I think the more we can care for the emotions moving through our bodies, the less likely they are to be exploited by someone else (also the less likely they are to be a drain on someone else).
It’s been so hard for me to allow my anger because it’s often demanding a better world, and it’s scary to feel your body demand something you can’t offer it! But I’m slowly learning to let it propel more courageous writing and organizing (at this point my organizing is limited to play dates for neurodivergent parents and their kids, but finding that possible next step is important!) toward the world I want to live in.
Yes indeed we must be very mindful of our media consumption! Totally agree. Media literacy has never been more important than it is now.
"Outrage media" has roots in the pre-electronic age--for example, how the 1921 Tulsa massacre was instigated by false newspaper stories about a young black man harassing a white woman--but the level of sophistication in media form and delivery has truly taken us into new territory.
Years ago, I stopped reading DailyKos, because I felt it was too emotionally triggering. When we are emotionally triggered, we are less likely to make good decisions, and we tend not to be good friends or family members.
It’s important for my emotional well-being to keep a sense of humor and keep the emotionalism at bay.
Anger, like greed, needs to be strictly managed. If we don’t manage our own anger someone else will and not to our good or anyone else’s.
We like to think of outrage as righteous anger but all anger directed at what someone else should be doing or shouldn’t have done leaves us feeling powerless. Anger blocks rational thought. Stepping back and humbly considering what we can actually do as individuals in a reality we often don’t like (a lot) frees us to do the little bit we can. And every little bit helps.
I read recently about the Society of the Spectacle, and what Byung-chul Han calls the Spectator Democracy. Where action in response to outrage/anger is instead channeled as words, tweets, likes, reshares, that directly benefit the corporations that indirectly monetize our emotions. And instead of action, we are left with the illusion of action, making us lesser humans.
Hi Joshua, thanks for sharing. When confronted with a situation where you see this type of behaviour is affecting a loved one, and that they are addicted to that content that causes them agitation and anger, how would you deal with this situation? And how effective will it be to act on it and try to explain it to them? or just let it be?
iposted this in the chat, but reposting here in case others find these questions helpful:
thank you for writing on this. I've been trying to put some similar things into words. these are some questions I've been asking myself to help refine my attention and action:
- is what I am reading/seeing adding new insight beyond what I am already aware of?
- is it moving me towards action or care?
- can I act on this at a local level?
- is this perspective from someone directly experiencing the injustice ?
- who benefits from my outrage and more importantly, the action I take in that outrage?
-how might my outrage harm that which I'm trying to support?
-is this distracting me from an effective action that I'm already engaged in?
-do I feel paralysis following this? if so, why? is it a positive dissonance of change? or freeze?
- is this encouraging me to stay relational/in relationship?
these aren't meant to be obvious yes/no, but after asking myself , I can usually pretty quickly tell what kind of engagement state I'm in, and make a decision from there.
In my head, it's not just Anger that's being farmed; it's Fucks. For me, that's the indivisible unit of mental energy that says "I care about the outcome."
People are always out there trying to trick you into Giving A Fuck about things that are decidedly not worth that most precious of personal resources. There are lots of things are worth giving a Fuck about; engaging with trolls on the internet is not one of them. They know full well that people who have wasted all the Fucks they have to give on their nonsense have no Fucks left to give for things that might have made a difference.
They're like arsonists who try to convince the firefighters to spray *them* with the water hose, as opposed to the house on fire.
This is hitting a spot for me - something I have been reflecting on a lot and you put it so eloquently. I shall be coming back to the post again and again. Thank you.
This is really great, thanks for bringing up something that I think gets lost in a lot of organizing 101s - that anger and rage are easy to co-opt, and they're hard to sustain a movement off of without something deeper and more grounding for people.
Thanks for writing about this issue, Joshua. I've been recognizing this for some time. People will post the outrageous just for clicks and engagement to make money.
I also feel it's hard to disengage. The journalists, writers, and others I follow are focused on the state of democracy in the US. I feel like one side is constantly controlling the conversation. Those I follow either respond or react to it. It also makes some of them a living. I get it, but I continue my own cycle of anger and helplessness.
Thus, I watch a lot of comedy and cat videos. There doesn't seem to be much more positive material on social other than that these days! In all seriousness, I do find ways to unplug and recharge. I hope others also find ways to manage their self-care.
Kelsey Blackwell, who writes The Drinking Gourd on substack published a post this week on shaking as a somatic practice to release and reset. I found her guided practice so helpful, and at least once a day have responded to something I read online by allowing a giant shiver to cascade through my body. I think the more we can care for the emotions moving through our bodies, the less likely they are to be exploited by someone else (also the less likely they are to be a drain on someone else).
It’s been so hard for me to allow my anger because it’s often demanding a better world, and it’s scary to feel your body demand something you can’t offer it! But I’m slowly learning to let it propel more courageous writing and organizing (at this point my organizing is limited to play dates for neurodivergent parents and their kids, but finding that possible next step is important!) toward the world I want to live in.
Yes indeed we must be very mindful of our media consumption! Totally agree. Media literacy has never been more important than it is now.
"Outrage media" has roots in the pre-electronic age--for example, how the 1921 Tulsa massacre was instigated by false newspaper stories about a young black man harassing a white woman--but the level of sophistication in media form and delivery has truly taken us into new territory.
Years ago, I stopped reading DailyKos, because I felt it was too emotionally triggering. When we are emotionally triggered, we are less likely to make good decisions, and we tend not to be good friends or family members.
It’s important for my emotional well-being to keep a sense of humor and keep the emotionalism at bay.
Anger, like greed, needs to be strictly managed. If we don’t manage our own anger someone else will and not to our good or anyone else’s.
We like to think of outrage as righteous anger but all anger directed at what someone else should be doing or shouldn’t have done leaves us feeling powerless. Anger blocks rational thought. Stepping back and humbly considering what we can actually do as individuals in a reality we often don’t like (a lot) frees us to do the little bit we can. And every little bit helps.
Anger is a hot fuel, but a thin and corrosive one. It may speed up the RPMs, but it'll burn out the ignition packs and piston rings.
I switched out of anger a few years ago, and into "bitter resolve". It lasts longer and doesn't tear me up as much.
This is why I love blocking people
Thank you!! Could not agree more!
👏👏
Like Monsters, Inc. farming screams from children
I read recently about the Society of the Spectacle, and what Byung-chul Han calls the Spectator Democracy. Where action in response to outrage/anger is instead channeled as words, tweets, likes, reshares, that directly benefit the corporations that indirectly monetize our emotions. And instead of action, we are left with the illusion of action, making us lesser humans.
Hi Joshua, thanks for sharing. When confronted with a situation where you see this type of behaviour is affecting a loved one, and that they are addicted to that content that causes them agitation and anger, how would you deal with this situation? And how effective will it be to act on it and try to explain it to them? or just let it be?
iposted this in the chat, but reposting here in case others find these questions helpful:
thank you for writing on this. I've been trying to put some similar things into words. these are some questions I've been asking myself to help refine my attention and action:
- is what I am reading/seeing adding new insight beyond what I am already aware of?
- is it moving me towards action or care?
- can I act on this at a local level?
- is this perspective from someone directly experiencing the injustice ?
- who benefits from my outrage and more importantly, the action I take in that outrage?
-how might my outrage harm that which I'm trying to support?
-is this distracting me from an effective action that I'm already engaged in?
-do I feel paralysis following this? if so, why? is it a positive dissonance of change? or freeze?
- is this encouraging me to stay relational/in relationship?
these aren't meant to be obvious yes/no, but after asking myself , I can usually pretty quickly tell what kind of engagement state I'm in, and make a decision from there.
In my head, it's not just Anger that's being farmed; it's Fucks. For me, that's the indivisible unit of mental energy that says "I care about the outcome."
People are always out there trying to trick you into Giving A Fuck about things that are decidedly not worth that most precious of personal resources. There are lots of things are worth giving a Fuck about; engaging with trolls on the internet is not one of them. They know full well that people who have wasted all the Fucks they have to give on their nonsense have no Fucks left to give for things that might have made a difference.
They're like arsonists who try to convince the firefighters to spray *them* with the water hose, as opposed to the house on fire.
“Your anger is a valuable resource”
Now that is a significant statement, and can lay the groundwork for some earnest conversation with people.
I know a few folks who are good in their heart and care about people, and fall victim to those who would manipulate their anger to dishonest ends.