Pent up anger

Is the anger pent up or is spewing forth like a fountain? A couple weeks ago Pastor H. mentioned at Bible study how he doesn't remember a time people were so readily angry. The election cycle has really triggered a great deal of animosity developing between people who were previously friends. Most of this is evident on the relatively faceless social media where folks feel they can take much more liberty with their remarks than they would (hopefully!) in face to face conversations. Wow, not a whole lot of reasonable discussing going on, more along the lines spewing forth in sound-byte form. There is little to no hope of even having other people listen, much less change their minds on an issue, especially when heavily laced with venom. 

A lady just waiting for someone to ask, "Why don't you smile?" so she can go off on them

A couple of my friends enjoy posting somewhat taunting posts knowing that some of their 'Friends' list will take the bait and respond to counter the point of the posting. Sometimes it gets a bit rough, and people get 'accosted' by others whom they don't even know. One lady is my friend and really got her butt handed to her by someone responding to our mutual friend's posting. Not good, not good at all. 

Someone I know is full on into the trigger word stuff being encouraged via the university system and seems to lie in wait for just the right social media posting to pull out all the retaliatory ammo (oops, trigger word!) for an assault against whoever posed the offending topic. Abortion---check! Women's rights---check! White privilege---check! Male superiority---check! Black Lives Matter---check! Refugees---check! Rubbing hands together, wondering 'what is the topic de jour to set things off'? 

There are civil ways to discuss topics, and then there are arrogant and ugly ways. I've even had a couple phone calls in recent weeks go badly or take a turn when the person with whom I was speaking took something the wrong way or felt attacked. It was nothing, really, but I felt myself on the defense end of the conversation when I really should not have had to. Posing a question or making an inquiry about nothing even political or controversial, and away we go. Calm down, people, calm down!

I'd like to say everything is going to be all right, but that would not be true. It will not, particularly in the political realm since we find ourselves in the midst of a kakistocracy. The national elections are and will be a disgrace, there is no getting around that. But, in the meantime, we might be doing irreparable harm to our friendships and even family relationships by behaving in such a way toward others, knowing that our disagreements will not change or affect the outcomes of whatever it is being discussed. IF you can even call it discussion. Verbal attacks, using words as clenched fists is not appealing at all. No one wins. Knock it off!