Why I Am Angry

Some readers of my columns have complained that I am too angry. They are especially distressed by the ire I express toward liberals.  There can, however, be no denying they are on to something.  I fully admit to being extremely angry. Where our nation seems headed both frustrates and enrages me.

Those on the left may protest this attitude, but they should understand it.  After all, they too are exceedingly angry.  They too are troubled about public events.  If this were not the case, they would never have initiated the resist movement.  Were they not enormously enraged, they would be far more tolerant of president Trump.

People get angry when they are frustrated by circumstances they cannot control.  They use this emotion to send others the message that they are extremely displeased. Their unconscious goal is to motivate those blocking them to get out of the way.  (See my book, IAM—Integrated Anger Management)

Angry people are also motivated to change what they can.  The more frustrated they are, the more energy they invest in making alterations.  If this were not the case, they would roll over and allow others to take advantage of them.  In fighting back, they make this less likely.

As for me, I find several recent developments infuriating.  They go against my deep political convictions. For one thing, I detest political correctness.  It flies in the face of my allegiance to free speech.  To be told there are things I cannot say because it offends others, strikes me as a threat to our collective liberty.

First, as an academic sociologist, my job is to investigate how societies operate.  But how can I do this if I must censor what I perceive?  If I must, for instance, pretend that black crime is no more prevalent than white crime, is this genuine science?  Or is it more akin to the Victorian effort to put diapers on horses so as to conceal their genitalia?

Second, I am offended by people being offended.  Why should folks who are uncomfortable with what I say silence me?  They also offend me, so why shouldn’t they stop trying to stifle me?  Are their feelings somehow more important than mine?

I am also furious with the resistance movement.  It was not long ago that Democrats complained Republicans were engaged in obstructionism.  When conservatives opposed Obama’s policies, this was portrayed as anti-democratic.  Conservatives were told that a need for political cooperation demanded that they accede to his initiatives.

Now that we have a Republican president progressive principles went into reverse gear.  The liberals decided that they were against anythingTrump did.  This extended to delaying the confirmation of nearly every nominee he sent to the senate. The hypocrisy here was so blatant, it set my teeth to gnashing.

But the behavior that enraged me the most was the administrative coup launched by liberals.  I believe in democracy.  I believe in the right of citizens to choose those who run their government.  This means that when voters pick a new leader, those previously in office must step aside.

Once I believed that all Americans were dedicated to this principle. Our nation was not a banana republic. Coup d’états were for countries where the population was accustomed to despotic rule.  We were too sophisticated for that.  We would never permit our democratic institutions to be despoiled.

This turned out to be a fantasy.  We have learned so much about how a self-important crew at the apex of the FBI and the Department of Justice plotted to prevent Trump from being elected and then sought grounds for impeaching him.  To achieve this, they bent the laws and disseminated false information.

The arrogance of those involved was breath taking.  These liberals were convinced that they knew better than the public.  This justified tampering with standard procedures and elementary fairness.  If this entailed sending innocent people to jail, it was necessary to protect voters from their own bad judgment.

Worst of all, millions of ordinary liberals found this unobjectionable. They did not quibble with unconstitutional efforts to achieve their political ends.  If a massive cover-up was needed to keep left-wing misdeeds from blowing up in their faces, they were happy to participate.  

This is a political disaster; the ghastliest during my lifetime. Why shouldn’t it make me angry? Why shouldn’t I fight to preserve our democratic heritage?  I do not want to live under a totalitarian regime—no matter how enlightened progressives believe it will be.  If they hate me for this attitude—so be it.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus

Kennesaw State University