On Anger

I have been angry for pretty much my entire life. I was a livid teen, a raging young adult and furious in my thirties. I calmed down to a mild provocation in my early forties, but have found the wrath has returned recently.

I am annoyed by anti-vaxxers, who place other people’s lives at risk for their own misplaced beliefs that vaccines cause damage, even though this has been disproved.

I am irate with people who use dictator run countries as examples of why socialism is terrible, especially when countries like Sweden, Finland, Norway, Canada, and the Netherlands are shining examples of it working.

I am furious at people who still believe Trump is a better option. And don’t get me started on Brexiters.

I am fucking fuming at people who want to use constitutions to protect their own beliefs, but will cry foul when people with opposing beliefs want to do the same.

I am exasperated by those who spread othering, and unfounded fear of others. And fuck those who want to take away our freedoms, especially under the guise of ‘security’.

But mostly, I am angry at the fact that our previously left-leaning parents, who fought against Apartheid and raised us to believe in freedom, justice and equality, have now joined the ranks of the Trump-loving, fake-news spreading growing nebulous cloud of doom. And I feel completely powerless, because there is no way to fix this, because of the division that has been created in our societies. Because if I address it, I will be accused of shouting down a valid opinion, and opinions trump (ha!) facts these days.