Anger Trumps

by Pat Antonopoulos

The Senator from South Carolina broke decorum and angrily yells as the President of the United States. The message was personal, "You are a liar."

Past Presidents have had to tolerate Congressmen and Senators refusing to applaud and/or stand in respect. There have been some booing from the chamber.

Daniel Schorr and David Gergen are two favorite political analysts. Both men are historians and astute students of American politics. Both spoke on NPR today and mutually agreed that the outburst from the Senator from South Carolina crossed many lines. The Senator has apologized. He could not do otherwise.

To paraphrase Mr. Schorr, "There is no situation in American today where people do not hesitate to yell in anger, to shout in protest."

Balanced and fair, David Gergen did recall other moments of breach in the Chamber, but none so egregious.

And as is my habit, I want to pull this down from the women and men who represent the highest symbols of our country. I want to pull the core concept into our cities, our neighborhoods and our personal lives.

I have little doubt that the gentleman from South Carolina was overcome with his anger, that he momentarily lost his sense of time and place and that emotion won the moment.

Anger does triumph far to often. "She/he made me mad. I have been tolerant, but this is too much. In this situation, my anger trumps everything. I win."

We, too, experience the same brain-blocks as the Senator experienced. We react with more emotion than reason. We erode our culture with the belief that anger has a right to be expressed in any circumstance.

And, Gentle Reader, I sorting my own emotional jumble with the absolutely reasonable assumption that you have important insights...that you can help sort the authenticity of justified anger and the respectful expressions of that anger.
You are very appreciated.