Extremist Violence: A Right Wing Thing

Don't confuse anger with hatred

What happened in Buffalo was all about hate and rage fed by politicians who feed off fear and prejudice. Their power depends on it. So far, it's working. Some 35 percent of Americans—including 68 percent of Republicans—believe the Big Lie, pushed relentlessly by former President Donald Trump and amplified by conservative media, that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. They think that Trump was the true victor and that he should still be in the White House today. Sarah Longwell/The Atlantic April 2022.

The lies about the election are only the surface. Dig a little deeper and you will find bigotry and hatred fueled by Trump's rhetoric. The outcome is violence. 

The NYTimes says over the past decade, the Anti-Defamation League has counted about 450 U.S. murders committed by political extremists.

Of these 450 killings, right-wing extremists committed about 75 percent. Islamic extremists were responsible for about 20 percent, and left-wing extremists were responsible for 4 percent.

Nearly half of the murders were specifically tied to white supremacists.

Replacement Theory

During his Ohio speech, Salon reports Trump amplified his white supremacist race-war fantasies, which are clearly derived from the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory and fears that white people somehow face extinction at the hands of Black or brown invaders. Trump has now fully mated the Big Lie claim that he is still the "real" president of the United States with white identity politics and grievance mongering:

"The very same people who piously claimed to be defending democracy are the ones throwing open your borders, surrendering your sovereignty, defunding your police, prosecuting your politicians — like nobody's ever seen before, by the way… desecrating your laws, crushing your wages, diluting your vote, and handing your country over millions and millions of illegal foreign nationals — illegal aliens, I would call them — all without your consent.

You haven't consented to that. On top of that you, had a fake, phony election….

But no matter how big or powerful these corrupt radicals may be, you must never forget this nation does not belong to them. This nation belongs to you. This is your home. This is your heritage, and your great American liberty is your God-given right."  Donald Trump

Anger is an emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong. Anger can be a good thing. It can give you a way to express negative feelings, for example, or motivate you to find solutions to problems. But excessive anger can cause problems.
https://www.apa.org › topics › anger

Hate a hostile emotion combining intense feelings of detestation, anger, and often a desire to do harm. Also called hatred.

Hate crimes are any felony or violent crime based on prejudice against a particular group. They are prejudice's most extreme expression. Compared to other crimes, hate crimes have a broader impact on victims and communities because they target core aspects of identity.
https://www.apa.org › topics › hate

Stoking the fires of hatred is the main focus of Trump's rallies, where he espouses the replacement theories spewed by the gunman in Buffalo. His hatred resulted in the slaughter of ten innocents. The killer was disappointed. He wanted more.

We, in the media, need to help people connect the dots. Ignoring the obvious will result in the further rise of the narrative embraced by so many of Trump's followers. An obvious question for Republicans, do you think our children should be exposed to
The Great Replacement Theory (GRT)? Are you willing to speak out against Trump's use of GRT to fire up his base?

Anger

 

It isn't always a bad thing!

It can motivate us into action, making changes for the greater good.

We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change; but, in addition to being angry, I'm also hopeful. Because I believe deeply in the ability of human beings to make and remake themselves for the better.

- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The downside is when anger slips into rage. A certain amount of self-awareness can help keep from losing control. Anger is a very strong emotion. The loss of control leads to regrettable circumstance.

10 tips to tame your temper  (Mayo Clinic)

1. Think before you speak

In the heat of the moment, it's easy to say something you'll later regret. 

2. Once you're calm, express your concerns

As soon as you're thinking clearly, express your frustration in an assertive but nonconfrontational way. 

3. Get some exercise

Physical activity can help reduce stress that can cause you to become angry. 

4. Take a timeout

Timeouts aren't just for kids. Give yourself short breaks during times of the day that tend to be stressful. 

5. Identify possible solutions

Instead of focusing on what made you mad, work on resolving the issue at hand. 

6. Stick with 'I' statements

Criticizing or placing blame might only increase tension. Instead, use "I" statements to describe the problem. 

7. Don't hold a grudge

Forgiveness is a powerful tool. If you allow anger and other negative feelings to crowd out positive feelings, you might find yourself swallowed up by your own bitterness or sense of injustice. 

8. Use humor to release tension

Lightening up can help diffuse tension. Use humor to help you face what's making you angry and, possibly, any unrealistic expectations you have for how things should go. Avoid sarcasm, though — it can hurt feelings and make things worse.

9. Practice relaxation skills

When your temper flares, put relaxation skills to work. Practice deep-breathing exercises, imagine a relaxing scene, or repeat a calming word or phrase, such as "Take it easy." 

10. Know when to seek help

Learning to control anger can be a challenge at times. Seek help for anger issues if your anger seems out of control, causes you to do things you regret or hurts those around you.

Anger Can Motivate

Those seeking justice can use anger to motivate change. A good example is the Civil Rights Movement.

7 Benefits of Being Really Mad (PsyBlog)

1. Being really mad is a motivating force

You sometimes hear people talking about using anger as a motivating force by ‘turning anger into positive energy’.

2. Really mad people are more optimistic

It may sound like an odd thing to say, but angry people have something in common with happy people. That’s because both tend to be more optimistic.

3. Anger can benefit relationships

Being really mad is a natural reaction to being wronged by someone else and it’s a way of communicating that sense of injustice.

4. Anger provides self-insight

Being really mad can also provide insight into ourselves, if we allow it.

5. Getting really mad reduces violence

Although anger often precedes physical violence, it can also be a way of reducing violence. That’s because being really mad is a very strong social signal that a situation needs to be resolved.

6. Anger as negotiation strategy

Being really mad can be a legitimate way to get what you want.

7. Angry music is calming

Extreme music — like punk, heavy metal, death metal, emo and screamo — can actually have a positive, calming effect on anger  (Sharman & Dingle, 2015).

Realizing the cause of your anger can transition to, "Something has to change."

Road Rage: Just One Symptom

Road Rage Everywhere!

Road Rage is on the rise. Violent altercations are leading to fatal shootings, and it is happening with increased frequency. It's another symptom of our social ills, and it's the tip of the iceberg.

This just a sampling from various news sources

• After boarding a flight to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Arielle Jean Jackson got into a heated verbal altercation with a Southwest employee. According to Bloomberg, she was asked to leave. While departing, the confrontation turned physical, and Jackson hit an airline agent. The employee was brought to a hospital after being punched in the head.

• In Vermont, a man menaced a group of election officials, warning them that “your days are f*cking numbered.”

• In Missouri, a public health official was “physically assaulted, called racist slurs, and surrounded by an angry mob.”

• In Oregon, a school board member was told that a neighbor was out looking for him — and threatening to kill him

• Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) shared a video posted to his Twitter and Instagram depicting violence and the apparent killing of the Democratic congresswoman. His party thinks this is ok.

• The former head of Tennessee’s vaccine rollout, Dr. Michelle Fiscus and her husband, have been forced out of their home after facing threats and taunts. 

• School nurses threatened for enforcing COVID protocols. 

• Anti-vaxxers are threatening to burn down schools. 

• In 2020, 279 hate crime incidents against individuals of Asian descent were reported, compared to 158 incidents reported in 2019. More than 60% of hate crimes in the United States were carried out on the basis of an individual's race, according to FBI data released Monday.
• 

We're coming apart at the seams

 There is no civil discourse. We could blame social media, but social media is only the means by which we spread our hate.

It should be no surprise that road rage is on the rise too. It's not just your imagination. There are more shootings and deaths as a result of road rage.

In 2020, 42 people a month on average, were shot and killed or wounded in road rage incidents according to a recent report by Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun violence prevention organization. That’s nearly double the monthly average for the four years prior.

The group’s report comes from data collected by the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research organization.

If the trend continues, Everytown projects there will be more than 500 deaths or injuries involving road rage incidents with guns in 2021. So far this year, someone has been shot and killed or injured every 18 hours, said Sarah Burd-Sharps, the group’s research director. -Pew Trust

Where to go from here?

We can't control another person's emotions, but we can control our own. We can understand our own triggers and put a lid on them before they get out of hand. We can also attempt to deescalate the situation. I went to the NSW Website to find out more.

This is from NSW Government Health.

When there are signs of anger or verbal aggression it is important to remember that:

• you need to stay calm
• anger may be a sign that the person is in distress, experiencing fear or frustrated
• it is not possible to reason or problem solve with someone who is enraged
• effective communication skills are the key to settling, resolving and de-escalating a situation.

Use the strategies below to de-escalate a situation:

• Listen to what the issue is and the person's concerns.
• Offer reflective comments to show that you have heard what their concerns are.
• Wait until the person has released their frustration and explained how they are feeling.
• Look and maintain appropriate eye contact to connect with the person.
• Incline your head slightly, to show you are listening and give you a non-threating posture.
• Nod to confirm that you are listening and have understood.
• Express empathy to show you have understood.

It is not possible to stop another person being angry, but these steps may help to make the person feel calmer. Something more constructive begins then.