Tuesday, February 25, 2003

Fear / Anger

Are you tired of being afraid, but aren't sure how to be otherwise? Worn out by your fear of a faceless enemy who said could be any face? God, I know I am -- and I live in Scotland, for God's sake. An idea: how about getting angry instead? For why, listen to Paul Krugman on NPR's Fresh Air. He doesn't say anything he doesn't say over and over again in the New York Times, but hearing it reminds us that sometimes those nagging voices of doubt that creep in from time to time -- normally when we're watching or reading the news, seeing or hearing the promises of a brighter economic future on the horizon if we just eased up on that oppressive tax burden that pinches the rich -- those voices that whisper, "wait a second, that doesn't really make much sense," are the voices of an emergent anger whose time will come. The question is when? and to what effect?