Some thoughts on Anger

Monday, in my "Multiculturalism and the Practice of Education" class, we screened the first part of a video in which the producer Lee Mun Wah collected ethnically diverse (heterosexual) men with strong socio-political convictions and sat them together in a circle to address openly racial politics and well as conceptions of race struggle. The video was released in April of 1994 and featured men of ages ranging from mid-thirties to upper-fifties.

In response to the naive and ignorant comments of David, the token "tolerant" Anglo-American, that suggested that there was no reason for the minorities to have the embittered attitude that they have and even questioned their refusal to comform, Victor lashed out in vehement shouts at David, telling him off and directing the full force of his rage at Anglo-America as an institution towards David as a surrogate victim. Victor, easily establishing himself as the enraged, embittered and scorned person of color was speaking out of offense as Daviddownplayed the affects of systemic pressures on Victor's African-American and Native American ancestors.

For those of us who grew up in the sheltered, all-embracing, difference-mitigating discursive climate of the 90's in the United States, our first instict would be to smack our foreheads, snap at Victor in muffled protests to cap his gratuitous outburst or immediately re-explain, re-interpret, re-word Victor's beastly and most stereotypical tirade into cooler, more logical, less embarrassing, and effectively less angry response for David. That would avoid the assumptions that Black men were bitter and angry, right? That would prove that we're more articulate than an impulsive outburst of blind fury and perhaps get the point across better to the white man, who is probably turned off by the militant approach in any case. After all, what's the point of just being angry.

I should like to offer some thoughts on anger in light of our natural reaction. Anger is the very essence of inviting change. Anger is how we as subaltern, as persons of color, as queerfolk, as women, immigrants and disabled communities survive. The way I see it, anger is a force that we ought NEVER shy away from. Let them know that we are angry, that we are dissatisfied, that we refused to accept this and refuse to meet their expectations of us and submit to a system. Let them recoil in the face of our anger and let them know an echo of the fear that we as the oppressed have felt since Adam's rib turned into a woman.

Victor had every right to be angry and I admire the passion that he had the courage to express in the room. However, anger alone is not effective. Barking at David and going off on a tirade that addressed more than Davidcould have understood without giving David the tools to understand first was a mistake. David, being in the social position that he is in, is already inclined to the temptation of blinding himself to the plight of the Other, inclined to shrugging off the sheer reality of Victor's pain and experience. Exploding in one's anger only produces the opposite effect of what Victor and most minorities aim for. Instead of being induced into readily recieving education, Victor's attacks are only registered as angry white noise.

Victor could have turned his anger into something more productive and subtle, like sarcasm, sheer humor, mild-mannered critical discussion, story-telling, poetry, a blog... But instead he delivered his anger in it's raw form, perpetuating the gap of understanding between himself and David, who could presumably have used the outburst as an excuse to completely tune out.

This exchange in the film illustrates perfectly both the power and motivation that anger can give us to promote change and increase mutual understanding, but also illustrates how easily the potential for all of that can be lost and how the anger can hinder these goals if it is not checked. Moreover, my point is that this was a poor execution of a useful emotion. I rebuke my generation's temptation to dismiss Victor's anger as entirely inappropriate, inconsequential and inherently ineffective. I recognize a strength and a passion to educate and nuture David's relatability to the minorities that he cannot comprehend and fully respect through his own devises. It is with a similar strength that I fuel my writing and hope to nurture the mutual understanding of everyone I touch.

-TAHS