The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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August 28, 2010

Our View: Anger is unlikely to resolve problems

The Free Press

Economic stress, politics devoid of hope and the dangers of taking an airplane on vacation have acted to push the thermometer of the American psyche into a pan of boiling water.

More Americans are angry, and like Howard Beale in the 1976 movie Network, “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.”

Unfortunately, this trend of public affairs-induced anger comes at a time when reasoned solutions to the country’s daunting problems are needed more than ever.

A Pew Research Center poll in April showed that Americans were angrier than last year, and much more so than 10 or 20 years ago. Much of the anger is aimed at government and the people in charge. Only 22 percent of Americans say they can trust the federal government, which Pew says is “among the lowest measures in half a century.”

Favorable ratings of Congress have declined over the last year by half, from 50 percent to 25 percent.

Of course, some groups — those who can influence media — are taking advantage of this fomentation. They’re holding rallies to garner undue media attention with the idea of leaving the impression that many more people are angry than is really the case.

Unfortunately, we’ve set up a system of incentives for politicians and the king- or queenmakers that rewards the anger-promotion industry.

So what can regular folks do, those who want to solve problems and not just whine about them?

The first thing to do is become informed. It’s hard work sometimes, especially on the front end. There are too many easily accessible websites and pseudo-media outlets and faux reporters that simply repeat and repeat and repeat lies and fallacies.

Check out legitimate news organizations before websites you’ve never heard of. The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal are two national organizations, one with left-leaning editorials, the other with right-leaning editorials, that can be trusted. These organizations have professional trained reporters and professionally trained editors who challenge reporter assumptions, assertions and fact gathering. Talk show hosts have “producers” whose job is not to check facts, but check the ratings.

Local newspapers usually have more complete and more accurate and more balanced stories than non-local news organizations simply because the local ones have to answer to real constituencies who pay them real money. National talk show hosts don’t have any stake in the local economy and are therefore less accountable and less accurate. They answer to a national constituency that is driven by ratings, and ratings are driven by what sells, which may or may not be the truth. Mostly not.

Let’s remember: America was built, yes, with a certain amount of angry people, but the Founding Fathers were mostly well-educated and well-informed people who saw more value in being reasonable, and influential, than being angry.

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