The Anger Just Eats Away

The Washington Post had a long article about angry leftwing bloggers on Saturday. The article focuses most of its attention on Maryscott O'Connor (a blogger and Daily Kos diarist) whose anger towards Bush and the right wing seems to engulf her life.

Maryscott blames her anger on a sense of powerlessness and says,

"I have become one of those people with all the bumper stickers on their car. I am this close to being one of those muttering people pushing a cart. I'm insane with rage and grief. But I also feel more connected than I ever have."

After reading the article it almost seems that these angry blogs act as an internet support group for people whose large stores of irrational anger find them looking for some place to release this anger. Instead of learning healthy ways to control and express anger, angry bloggers seem caught up in showing who can express the most anger towards whatever target they might choose.

Instead of finding constructive ways to deal with their rage (such as avoidance), these bloggers seem to look for things that will make them more angry and they seem to embrace their anger as if its release is something positive and constructive.

The web page of the American Psychological Association notes, "Research has found that "letting it rip" with anger actually escalates anger and aggression and does nothing to help you (or the person you're angry with) resolve the situation."