America has always been a violent country. From the beginning of the caucasian invasion we have slaughtered our way to supremacy. For a society that was founded on personal freedom we certainly have found ways to limit that freedom. The relentless quest to wipe out the buffalo population, the systematic killing off of the Native American population and the eventual confinement to reservations, this is how our country began. Slavery, guns, the lawless west, we have always used violence to silence the voices, lives and souls of those we found to be different. When the white Christians came to settle this land they came to escape religious persecution. What they found was unacceptable to them. These were puritanical people. And while they wanted to practice their own religion they did not believe the savages (as they thought of the Native Americans) had the right to live their lives their way. This is how our nation was founded. All men are created equal as long as they look and act like us.

Most of the second half of the twentieth century was buried in race violence. We had our moments of peace, love and unity in the sixties but that was just a  blip on the radar.

Today we find ourselves hating everyone. Violence is on the rise throughout the country and this time is isn’t only whites versus everyone else. The tables seem to have turned. Now we fight amongst ourselves. Petty little battles over airline seats, the driver who cuts us off during the commute, not enough espresso shots in our Frappuccino. The list is endless, full of frivolous attempts to make ourselves better than the other person.

We have larger issues also. We all know what they are. But it’s these small skirmishes that alarm me. The total lack of respect for our fellow humans. This isn’t about race or religion, it’s not about class or culture. Yes we have race anger, yes we have religious anger and yes we have class and culture anger. This has been very apparent during the presidential campaign and subsequent first term of our very angry president. But this isn’t what I am talking about.

Why suddenly is there so many people being taken off planes? Is it the airlines fault for over booking the flights? Is it the passenger’s fault for not knowing the rules? I know I wouldn’t be happy if I was told to give up my seat, in fact I would be angry. Would I start a fight? I don’t think so. But in the moment maybe I would. I don’t think airline seat rage and traffic rage and coffee rage is about the incident. It’s about our sense that we are losing control over our lives.

As Jeffrey Kluger wrote in June, 2016 “Anger is a lazy person’s emotion. It’s quick, it’s binary, it’s delicious. And more and more, we’re gorging on it.”.

As we see more and more people angry, the anger becomes more and more acceptable. Then the acceptable becomes the glorified. The glorified becomes the norm. When anger is the norm common sense is lost and social mores become silenced. That’s when society is lost and the population looks to be saved. I believe we have seen the beginning and we must fight to reverse the trend.