SHAMWOW

Okay. Sorry. I know this horse has been beaten into the ground and shat on, but there's one last thing I want to say about it before I never speak of it again. Yes, I'm talking of course of the "Should we celebrate bin Laden's death" discussion. I've been pretty outspoken and unapologetic about embracing my hatred for the sack of shit. I realize that such unbridled anger towards a dead person doesn't make sense to a lot of people, and it's certainly understandable that some could see it as, well, a little scary. But I came across a great article that explains exactly what I've been trying to say. My goal by posting this isn't to sway anyone. It's simply to put things into context. This particular piece is not about Osama bin Laden. It's about social justice. But the writer attempts to explain when and how anger can be used as a tool. I don't agree with all of it. I certainly don't view people who don't get angry as "slaves" or "victims," and I'm definitely not advocating it for most other social situations. But there is a time for the peaceful philosophy of King and Gandhi (most of the time, in fact), and there is a time for the anger-filled philosophy of Malcolm X. Don't limit yourself to a single philosophy. I claim the right to be a hypocrite on a case-by-case basis. This rational anger is what I've been trying to express in my feelings towards Osama bin Laden, and all murderers like him. It's worth the read.

Slavery is a metaphor for a person who is not in control of their own life, but has their choices made for them. A man decides, a slave obeys.

The slave can have two internal responses to his situation. He can be sad, and passively accept it, but mourn inside, yearning for a better world. The outcome is no change. Emotion is directed inwards, leaving the outer world untouched. Not daring to express outrage, fear constrains the slave to internalise their problems.

The other response is anger. Anger means directing emotional energy outwards, towards making positive change. Anger is forceful non-acceptance of the status quo. It mobilises and catalyses individual resources towards change. Anger overcomes the constraints of fear, resulting in action.

The slave is not allowed to be angry. That is the prerogative of the slave’s master. The slave is too fearful to show any anger to the master.

Anger in our world has a bad name, but as Zack de la Rocha said, it is a gift. A gift is something that is meant to benefit us. Anger is a gift when it is used in a focused, directed way to cut through the irrelevant and the bureaucratic, and cut to the root of a problem. Anger is the antidote to constraints. Anger doesn’t try to work within the system, it does not aim for incremental change, it does not settle for less. Anger takes what it wants.

Unfocused anger on the other hand benefits no-one. The person who is angry at the world but does not focus that anger on changing the central problem at hand is useless, a danger to themselves and innocent bystanders. The person who goes down the street smashing shop windows achieves no beneficial change in their own life. The person who explodes when someone changes lane in front of them is not solving a problem. The spouse who gets angry at a perceived slight causes puzzlement, not change. Like Don Quixote, the person with unfocused anger simply attacks windmills, not real enemies.

Focused, relevant anger is owned. It is not a wild impulse. It is not something that we disavow responsibility for. We don’t blame emotions or other circumstances. Focused anger is not like a broadaxe that is wildly flung about, but more like a powerful laser that cuts straight through to the core of the enemy. As Musashi said, think only of cutting. This means setting aside irrelevance, and being singleminded in pursuit of the goal.

The random, angry, inarticulate mob is easily disbursed. In Roman times, the mob was readily placated with bread and circuses. In our modern society, anger is controlled through handouts, drugs and television – anything to keep people as victims – irrelevant, placid and powerless. They must not think for themselves as this will focus their minds on the problem at hand – they will realise that they are controlled. They must not become angry as this is likely to become unfocused violence. At no time should they become both angry and focused, as this is the worst possible threat to the status quo.

How can anger be focused to achieve results? It is focused when anger and rationality are combined. This combination of fire and ice is the defining characteristic of those who are a threat to the status quo, and those who are able to write their own ticket in life.

Rationality is chosen when a person accepts that actions have consequences, and owns those consequences, and acts consistently to achieve the required consequences. Anger comes from having clear internal standards, which are not compromised, and by comparing actions against them, and feeling strongly enough about the discrepancy to arouse emotion and action.

The person who is fearful, or sedated by habitual inaction won’t ever get angry enough to change anything. They are scared of doing so. They will simply become sad, internalising the pain, treasuring it like it is something precious. Yet another victim. The person who is angry, and rational enough to understand the reason for the anger will be focused on the necessary change. Which will you be?