The Angry American
Why is everyone so angry in America all the time? Have you noticed it? I know you have. If you haven't, it's probably because you're one of the angry people.
I saw this guy freak out at McDonalds the other day because the kid behind the register short-changed him a nickel. A nickel! I mean really, does the guy think the 16 year old behind the counter has some master plan to steal nickels from customers?
I see it on the roadways everywhere. Road rage isn't the exception anymore, it's the norm. It's like we've lost our damn minds! The craziest part is we don't even hide it anymore. We strangely revel in our anger and want the world to know we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore!
I'm convinced I know what is propelling us to be so angry as a society; information overload. Just think about it; not too long ago, you read the paper in the morning and learned some good, some not so good news. You went to work, then came home, had dinner with the family, watched the evening news, and read a little, helped the kids with a little homework, and then it was off to bed. Sure there were unpleasant moments, but our lives weren't saturated with them.
Today our lives are saturated with negativity. Regardless of your beliefs you are convinced 24/7 that the other guys are winning and your very lifestyle, your very survival hangs in the balance. You hear about death, destruction, famine, war, hate and intolerance all day, all night. And you don't have to go to get it, it comes to you. Google updates, Facebook updates, Twitter updates, TMZ updates (because how could we live not knowing where Snooki is or what she's doing, and being angry about it?). We eat this stuff up and it is eating us alive.
Friends, there is a growing movement out there; one to put the internet, social media, the 24 hour news cycle, overwhelming information back into context. People, especially those above the age of 30, just aren't designed to deal with so much information and it drives us bonkers and makes us mad. It makes us so angry we take it out on our fellow drivers, service-providers, colleagues, friends and family. Heck, we take it out on ourselves.
I submit, if you are willing to ween yourself off a few automated "alerts" or "updates", if you force yourself to go a certain amount of time each day not tied to your smartphone or your computer, it will make a positive difference and put you back in the driver's seat. Hell all this information was supposed to help us live happier and more fulfilling lives wasn't it? Now stop being so damn angry! You're starting to piss me off! :).
I saw this guy freak out at McDonalds the other day because the kid behind the register short-changed him a nickel. A nickel! I mean really, does the guy think the 16 year old behind the counter has some master plan to steal nickels from customers?
I see it on the roadways everywhere. Road rage isn't the exception anymore, it's the norm. It's like we've lost our damn minds! The craziest part is we don't even hide it anymore. We strangely revel in our anger and want the world to know we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore!
I'm convinced I know what is propelling us to be so angry as a society; information overload. Just think about it; not too long ago, you read the paper in the morning and learned some good, some not so good news. You went to work, then came home, had dinner with the family, watched the evening news, and read a little, helped the kids with a little homework, and then it was off to bed. Sure there were unpleasant moments, but our lives weren't saturated with them.
Today our lives are saturated with negativity. Regardless of your beliefs you are convinced 24/7 that the other guys are winning and your very lifestyle, your very survival hangs in the balance. You hear about death, destruction, famine, war, hate and intolerance all day, all night. And you don't have to go to get it, it comes to you. Google updates, Facebook updates, Twitter updates, TMZ updates (because how could we live not knowing where Snooki is or what she's doing, and being angry about it?). We eat this stuff up and it is eating us alive.
Friends, there is a growing movement out there; one to put the internet, social media, the 24 hour news cycle, overwhelming information back into context. People, especially those above the age of 30, just aren't designed to deal with so much information and it drives us bonkers and makes us mad. It makes us so angry we take it out on our fellow drivers, service-providers, colleagues, friends and family. Heck, we take it out on ourselves.
I submit, if you are willing to ween yourself off a few automated "alerts" or "updates", if you force yourself to go a certain amount of time each day not tied to your smartphone or your computer, it will make a positive difference and put you back in the driver's seat. Hell all this information was supposed to help us live happier and more fulfilling lives wasn't it? Now stop being so damn angry! You're starting to piss me off! :).
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