What's the value of outrage when

you're constantly outraged over everything? Doesn't that reduce it to background noise? Doesn't having the same level of outrage over Pete Stark apologizing and the FISA retroactive immunity provision, reduce them both?

Outrage without power is just an emotion

and many folks will do that. i think they're the most patient, but maybe not the most effective at spuring action. i disagree with this approach, even though I used it in my teaching "there are no bad kids, only bad behaviors" - these are adults, and if you see patterns of abuse, the defense is always to focus on the most immediate issue and ignore the patterns. If the abuser is successful in isolating the incident, they have the best chance of being forgiven and continuing the cycle.

then there are the ones that look at the string of outrages and let it build up until finally there's "the last straw". I think most people are like that, and with the steady stream of things to be pissed about, we're all seeing people at different breaking points. Sometimes I have one, then I mellow out for awhile, then I'm pissed again.

then there are the people who get an endorphine rush out of being outraged. rageaholics. I think they're using this administration to feed their addiction.

I think we should get outraged EVERY SINGLE TIME, because that's how you stop bullies and psychopaths - and lord knows they don't let anything go. The trick is to get outraged in an effective way. When we express disagreement or anger or offense, we know they're going to turn around and paint themselves as the victim. That's their pattern. How do we head this off? If we ignore it, it'll continue. If we go agressive, we need to be prepared to take it all the way. If we do that a couple of times without backing down, then we've broken the cycle.

In the end, it's a power struggle, and it really doesn't matter what the issue is and its importance, because the real issue is power.

Is everybody with me? If not why not? Surely my outrage is in good faith and infectious!

I'm boycotting every product and industry with "cali" anywhere in its name (the entire state of California; California raisins; calipers; Cali, Colombia; Cali Bamboo; and The Cali Beauty Farm.

Cali's pain will be my joy.

a little. :rofl:

six and a half years of one horrific revelation after another from this administration.
The outrage is renewed and reinforced with every day that goes by, every new claim of
executive privilege, every ignored congressional request, every new dirty deal revealed,
every example of political chicanery discovered, every death quietly announced.

I have never sustained this level of outrage for so long. It's not a good way to live.
The next level, honestly, is taking it to the streets.

:)

Now I only occasionally get riled.

The Stark thing was one of them. And I wasn't even on the Stark is a Hero bandwagon but when his own party humiliated him like that I wanted blood.

read my post below. <g>

but also the outrage has to be seen as mostly valid by more than just partisans to get any support in the media.

Going back the Stark thing (probably stupid of me to go there but I am stubborn)

For instance, if a Congressman like Stark makes the statement he did, is anyone in the media going to say "yeah I see his point." or will all the comments be like "thats really unfair to the President".

We don't want to drive any sympathy for the Chimp! Stick to facts or at least predictions grounded by facts. There are plenty there to skewer the hell out of him.

You are a glutton for punishment.

:P

:)

It seems like starting in the late 70s the littlest issues started getting blown up into huge bursts of sanctimonious outrage.

I don't even believe it's true outrage anymore. It's a publicity stunt to get some face time on the neverending 24-hour news cycle.

Very few things truly outrage me, and they usually involve some insult or injury to my wife or kids. So I can't believe that all these people who claim to be outraged are truly outraged.

It's all a bunch of self-styled "culture warriors," "defenders of public virtue, Puritans screaming "THINK OF THE CHILDREN," etc. looking for attention.