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I'm pretty sure that the rage generally pre-dates the purported reason for outrage. People have this free floating feeling of anger and dissatisfaction and afte

I'm pretty sure that the rage generally pre-dates the purported reason for outrage. People have this free floating feeling of anger and dissatisfaction and after encountering something they disagree with rationalize that it was the cause. At least that's what I choose to believe because the alternative is that large swaths of the population are completely insane and erupt over random comments on the Internet.

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gress 12y ago
What's the difference between carrying around free-floating rage and being completely insane?
- cafard 12y ago
  The degree of control, over the frequency and intensity of expression.
- spindritf 12y ago
  You can have a good reason to be angry and just not realise it consciously, or not be able to point it out. Not great but doesn't make you insane.
  - gress 12y ago
    Sure, but can't you say the same about any apparently irrational behavior?
- TheOtherHobbes 12y ago
  It's the difference between yelling at innocent people in an uncoordinated and sporadic way, and attacking them with heavy weaponry because you believe they're Satan.
  - gress 12y ago
    Yelling at in innocent person means you are acting out of a delusion of some kind, so it sounds as though you are saying it's only a matter of degree.
    - verbin217 12y ago
      Not necessarily, maybe I just like yelling at people. I needn't believe anything false for that to be true.
      - gress 12y ago
        If you say so, but from the outside this would be indistinguishable. Someone could attack with heavy artillery while shouting 'death to satan' because they like pretending to be a Satanist while not believing anything false. How would we know the difference?
        verbin217 12y ago
        The top comment contrasts two ostensibly identical situations. In the first, a calm person becomes much angrier than would be expected. In the second, a person already suppressing otherwise unacceptable anger exploits an opportunity to express it for another plausible cause. The situations are externally indistinguishable but have very different implications about the persons mental state.

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[deleted]

gress 12y ago

What's the difference between carrying around free-floating rage and being completely insane?

cafard 12y ago
The degree of control, over the frequency and intensity of expression.
spindritf 12y ago
You can have a good reason to be angry and just not realise it consciously, or not be able to point it out. Not great but doesn't make you insane.
- gress 12y ago
  Sure, but can't you say the same about any apparently irrational behavior?
TheOtherHobbes 12y ago
It's the difference between yelling at innocent people in an uncoordinated and sporadic way, and attacking them with heavy weaponry because you believe they're Satan.
- gress 12y ago
  Yelling at in innocent person means you are acting out of a delusion of some kind, so it sounds as though you are saying it's only a matter of degree.
  - verbin217 12y ago
    Not necessarily, maybe I just like yelling at people. I needn't believe anything false for that to be true.
    - gress 12y ago
      If you say so, but from the outside this would be indistinguishable. Someone could attack with heavy artillery while shouting 'death to satan' because they like pretending to be a Satanist while not believing anything false. How would we know the difference?
      - verbin217 12y ago
        The top comment contrasts two ostensibly identical situations. In the first, a calm person becomes much angrier than would be expected. In the second, a person already suppressing otherwise unacceptable anger exploits an opportunity to express it for another plausible cause. The situations are externally indistinguishable but have very different implications about the persons mental state.