Anger and Politics
People shout hateful things at campaign rallies. Radio talk show hosts use inflammatory rhetoric to frighten and anger listeners. On the Web, I've seen wishes that the "other" candidate would die, usually by violent means. Welcome to the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election Campaign.
Political passions usually push some people off the "rational" bus, so to speak, but this year it seems people are flying off the bus in record numbers. I take it large numbers of people genuinely believe that if the other candidate wins, our country will be crushed beneath the weight of terrible evil. At least they aren't apathetic!
Analysis of why people are so worked up this year is the stuff of many Ph.D. dissertations. However, it doesn't take an advanced degree to see the fear lurking beneath the anger. The things people fear often are imaginary, but that doesn't make the fear or the anger less real.
Is there anything we can do to soothe our overheated fellow-citizens? There are steps to take to release our own anger, but how can we soothe the anger of others? This is an important question, because I don't expect the anger to evaporate after the election.
The Buddha said, “Conquer anger by non-anger. Conquer evil by good. Conquer miserliness by liberality. Conquer a liar by truthfulness” (Dhammapada, v. 233). At the very least, we can apply those teachings when we meet people in the grip of seething political passions. Any other suggestions?
Comments
US Politics has become emotionally driven to a large extent. And there is a lot of fear, frustration and hurt in peoples lives. Hurt from the past; frustration in the present; and fear of the future.
Add to all that hurt, frustration, and fear a sense that politics is a zero-sum game. That is, citizens think efforts to help one group come by harming them and vice versa. What we need are policies, and leaders who put policies forward, that lift the whole nation up.
Obama has talked about it somewaht, but not really explained how he will do it. McCain has done even less. Leaving lots of fearful, frustrated, and hurt people who are also deeply suspicious of each other and the candidates.
What to do about it? I’m not sure. But I suspect it will be done at the local level where people can come together with a sense of community; aka, we’re all in it together, so lets not compound our problems by hating one another.
The biggest way to help others get over their anger is to help them realize that fear is the precursor to anger, so if they realize how fearful they really are over an imaginary danger, then their pride will set in and they will have a chance to replace their anger with courage. Courage is the cure to fear and anger.