Anger. Shock. Indignation. Welcome to the age of outrage. Our society as a whole in the United States has become more angry, more divided, more trigger-prone, than ever before. A recent NPR-IBM Watson Health poll found 84% of Americans believed they are angrier today compared with a generation ago. Nearly half—42%—said the news made them angry, while 38% said social media made them angry. The data actually indicate that people’s political beliefs are largely unchanged, but what is changing is how we deal with viewpoints that make us uncomfortable.
The sources of outrage. Most of our outrage stems from observing or experiencing something that we strongly disagree with, yet over which we have little or no influence or control. These can range from life-threatening, frightening occurrences—a man enters a Wal-Mart and randomly shoots 22 people—to miniscule annoyances and “first-world problems”—a hacker attack slowed down the internet all afternoon.
How do the headlines of the day influence your outrage?
In 1912 when the Titanic sank, accurate news did not reach major U.S. cities for days. Radios were not powerful enough to reach from sea to land, and messages were relayed ship-to-ship. Only the New York Times, upon learning the Titanic would not arrive on time, correctly guessed she had sunk. Other papers reported that all passengers were rescued and had survived. When the Carpathia arrived in New York carrying survivors, it was days before the full extent of the sinking and loss of life was known. People gathered in large crowds at newspaper stands and wireless stations to hear bits and pieces of news accounts. Only weeks later did the tragedy’s full measure unfold in the news media of the day.
Mistakes in Titanic’s design, poor decisions by the crew, and a lack of adequate lifeboats contributed to a terrible loss of life. As the facts of the sinking slowly unfolded, newspaper stories documented the widespread outrage of the public at the time. But the pace of the news of the day allowed for information consumers to slowly digest and contemplate the facts. The result of the ensuing investigation caused many maritime safety standards to be enacted that are still in effect today—not the least of which is mandating enough lifeboats to evacuate everyone on any given ship. People were mad at the needless loss of more than 1,500 lives, but time tempered their outrage.
The availability of instant news through all forms of electronic media has certainly contributed to an epidemic of outrage. Today’s news cycle is not measured in days or weeks, but in minutes and hours. The media landscape is also more crowded, from TV news, to web, to social media, to print media. Then there are the amateur bloggers and Twitter influencers. To cut through this clutter, headlines and taglines have become more and more sensationalized.
The psychology of outrage. Outrage is not only common, it’s contagious. As influencers use various forms of media and the stories of the day to wield social and political power, they rely on the volatility of opinion to shape response. Terri Apter, Ph.D, comments in her book Passing Judgment, “Outrage is one of those emotions (such as anger) that feed and get fat on themselves. Yet it is different from anger, which is more personal, corrosive and painful. In the grip of outrage, we shiver with disapproval and revulsion—but at the same time outrage produces a narcissistic frisson. ‘How morally strong I am to embrace this heated disapproval.’ The heat and heft add certainty to our judgment. ‘I feel so strongly about this, I must be right!’”
The result of our outrage is to lead us to a sense of moral superiority. “My disapproval proves how distant I am from what I condemn,” Apter continues, “Whether it is a mother who neglects her child or a dictator who murders opponents, or a celebrity who is revealed as a sexual predator, that person and that behavior have no similarity to anything I am or do. My outrage cleans me from association.”
Our angry disapproval also becomes a part of our identity. In our social circles, on Facebook and Twitter, our civic and religious fraternities, we foster an us-versus-them environment through our discussions. Before we know it, on nearly every issue we have separated ourselves into polarized groups, and have created various perches from which to track and judge others based on their beliefs and opinions. “Can you imagine anyone who could even think that!?”
Exploding, bottling, smugness. There are common responses to outrage. One is explosion—a tirade that showers rage onto family, friends or coworkers. A milder form of anger are vitriol-laden posts on social media. Though outrage anger is most often a verbal opinion or written expression, verbal abuse and even physical violence can result when outrage explodes. A second response is to bottle up anger, seen by some as a “bad” emotion, and suppress feelings of discontent and even rage. This often results in depression or anxiety. Or may result in venting suppressed outrage at innocent parties such as children, pets or inanimate objects.
Perhaps the most common manifestation of outrage, though, is smugness—a determined self-righteousness and moral ownership that is unhealthy. Our strong negative judgment is not only normal, it’s enjoyable. We look at the actions of nearly everyone around us and in the public arena as an opportunity to express our approval or discontent. And so has our culture become addicted to outrage. A land where someone is outrageously compared to Hitler every day, and an equal number are outraged at the comparison.
The malaise of outrage. Outrage is a dysfunction of culture and relationships. It takes civil discourse and devolves it into anger, shaming and division. It replaces thoughtful response and action with the noise of knee-jerk reaction. The effort, energy and passion we pour into any issue we disagree on is the same, but the result is loads of shouting and few if any solutions. Our default mode of operation is to silo ourselves with like-minded individuals, by which we create a series of echo-chambers, where we simply live to be agreed with, recycling our opinions over and over, trapped by our desire for constant social approval.
To move society forward, to move our culture and communities forward, we have to learn to recognize our tendency toward outrage, and resolve to change it to something else entirely. By failing to address outrage, we risk being stuck in a destructive environment where there is no truth, no accountability, no solutions—and all the qualified and well-adjusted people have left in disgust.
Orson Wells’ radio drama “War of the Worlds” created a nationwide fake scare in 1938. Or did it? The story of mass panic is folklore. The rumor that hospitals treated people for shock on hearing that Martians had supposedly invaded the earth? False. And the claim that someone died of a heart attack? Also false. In fact just 2% of radio listeners even heard the live broadcast that night.
Four steps to end outrage. Proversb 14:17 reminds us that “People with a hot temper do foolish things; wiser people remain calm.” The New Testament too references the attitude of Christ-followers in the midst of a raging culture: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Ephesians 4:31). But how can you move practically from outrage to something more productive?
One: Confirm. Eliminating outrage begins with something simple. Wait. Just wait. Whatever the news of the day, the righteous anger-carrier of the moment, take some time before you react. This is simply a practical matter caused by the noise of the day, the constant drone of literally thousands of media sources. There is so much “fake news” out there, it’s wise to simply wait a few days regarding anything you hear to confirm whether or not it’s true and real. In the story of Titanic’s sinking in 1912, there was misinformation being spread within hours. Today you’re far more likely to receive misinformation than facts no matter what the news of the day.
A recent Gallup/Knight poll found that Americans believe over 62% of the news they see on television or read in newspapers is inaccurate—and believe 80% of what they view on social media is inaccurate. Receiving media in today’s culture demands a degree of journalism on the part of the consumer. Look for the origin of a story, see if it is confirmed by multiple sources, see how the narrative changes over time. Before you react to what you have heard, you need to confirm that what you have heard is largely accurate. Resolve to make your own personal “news cycle” at least 2-3 days, listening, confirming, and verifying the facts along the way.
Two: Contemplate. Eliminating outrage continues when you take time to think about the issue. Don’t skip this step and jump on social media, or run down to the water cooler to give your immediate “take” on what’s wrong. Opinion seldom leads to constructive action. Instead ask yourself, “What about this is making me angry?” Is it a moral issue? A political stance? A social problem? Outrage always begins as an internal emotional response. Seek to define what is really bothering you about what you are observing before you run out to find others who agree with you.
If you watch much late-night television, you’ve likely seen a segment or two where a comedy host will send his camera crew out on the street to ask “ordinary people” their knowledge of an issue, or even American trivia like naming the President or the state capital. What makes these segments entertaining is that when put on the spot, many people don’t know anything more than what they have heard in passing. And that is often hilariously inaccurate. Instead, resolve to be someone who takes time to contemplate. It’s impossible to craft a rational response to outrage without a time of reflection.
Three: Connect. Perhaps the most difficult step in eliminating outrage is this one: realize that to really affect a positive change, you are going to have to connect to people who don’t agree with you. Ed Stetzer, author of Christians in the Age of Outrage, says, “Force yourself to engage the other, not just be part of the similar.” People, including you, are being shaped by their cable news choices and social media feed. A reasonable voice that says, “Help me think about and take steps to solve this” stands out in the culture. And whether you know it or not, Stetzer reminds us to “Recognize that people of different views are listening to you. Be careful not to mock or dismiss people who have different views. It is okay to engage in social media but not engage in every single hot button issue.”
When something outrages you, resolve to ask, “How can I use this to connect to someone of a different opinion?” This one question and your actions associated with it could profoundly change how outrage impacts your life and the lives of those in your sphere of influence. Outrage has become one of the most dis-connecting elements of culture. This is not easy, and the result will almost never be to persuade someone into your way of thinking. Rather, the goal is to find common ground. Most often a productive conversation begins not with you expressing your opinion, but asking what someone else thinks. Seek to understand, and let the knowledge you gain in listening help to shape how to talk about and engage on issues you are passionate about.
Four: Construct. Finally, eliminating outrage must include a step beyond expressing an opinion. When you are angered, a practical response should include something you are actually doing, rather than just something you are saying. Perhaps there is an attitude or action in your own life that can change. Then widen the field of action to your family, friends and coworkers. Finally, consider your community and beyond.
Fionn Ferreira is an 18-year-old Irish student who was troubled by ocean pollution. Like many young people he found growing outrage over climate issues he heard about in school and through the media. Fionn is an avid science student, and wondered if a magnetic liquid called ferrofluid might be useful in removing tiny plastic particles called microplastics from the world’s oceans. He created a number of experiments, eventually creating a device that removed more than 88% of microplastics from water samples.
Fionn went on to win the Google Science Fair and his invention is in the process of being deployed throughout the world’s oceans to begin removing plastic particles systematically. Fionn’s outrage, his troubled reaction to a well-known problem, led him to action in the form of practical experimentation that led to a scientific breakthrough.
Don’t get caught. Avoid the pitfall of thinking that expressing outrage online is “standing up for truth”, or a moral imperitive. The discourse has so broken down, you only add to the echo, and worse, by the very nature of social media you label yourself as an “issue person”, content to be on one side or the other. Finding real solutions to outrage issues means you must connect to people personally—especially those of differing views—listen intently, and influence others toward a solution, versus just another form of protest.
Authenticity is the factor in your character that helps you live and lead as your true self. Authenticity helps you to make good decisions, influence others, maintain consistent values, convey a sense of purpose, and have a strong self-awareness.