Why Republicans Are Always So Angry

I rebel;  therefore I exist.
—     Albert Camus
[Even just a few decades ago, there was a certain sense of stability in life (here in America).  The “General Public” could feel like:  “Get a job.  Raise a family.  Retire.  Relax and enjoy your last few years before death.”  If you were academically clever, you would preface this with:  “Get a “good” education.  Get a job. …”  This was “mostly” an illusion created by the “American Dream” myth and promoted by TV and advertising / marketing.  We are now fast approaching a society where the intrinsic “value” of life and humanity will be evaluated (tested).
Let me be clear:  “Fast approaching” MEANS within the next twenty to forty years.  Certainly within the working-life span of those leaving high school this June (2024)!!
Mechanization (robotics) will replace the vast majority (if not all) of human manual labor and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will replace the vast majority of non-manual / “creative” labor.  Humanity is destined to be surplus to requirements for ALL “work”.  As we near that point, we (society) will have to decide on the “true” purpose of being human when the value of your personal contribution to society has no direct bearing on your personal survival or the progress of society.
What happens to self-perception when one can no longer say:  “I do an honest day’s work to earn my living!”  Most people will initially feel lost, isolated and confused by their inability to define their “value”.  They will yearn for the good, old days and feel anger at the direction their society and lives are taking  – one which leaves them with no external measure of their personal value.
So, what does any of this have to do with being an “angry Republican”?
Well, imagine for most of your life you’ve been told “good” people work for a living and don’t take (or need) handouts from the government, and “bad” people freeload off of society (Welfare Queens, Section-8ers, socialists and communists, etc)…  And now, through no “fault” of your own, you are laid off indefinitely with little to no hope of regaining employment at your current living standard.  Slowly, but surely you burn through your emergency savings, then your retirement savings, then you lose your home and your car.  You’ve heard “those” stories about others and you KNOW where you’re going.  Even if you’re not the one actually getting laid off, every time there’s a downturn in the economy, you hear about (and see) neighbors, friends and family who fall into this situation.
And you become afraid…  You become very afraid – of all those things which are beyond your control, but which you are constantly being told are just outside your door if you don’t work a little harder, a little longer, for a little less.
“But it’s not MY fault!”, you say.  (You scream…)  “I’m not a free-loader!  I’m not a leech!  I make a difference!  I matter!”
Your fear turns into rage…  I want a job!  I want a home!  I want my dream back!  I want my toys!  I matter!  I want to go back to the way things were!
Eventually, someone comes along and they tell you what you WANT to hear.  They promise they CAN take you back to “better times”…  They can stop the “progress” you find so scary and turn back the clock.  If you follow them, they will make sure you “matter”.
And so, you become a Republican…  And, you’re given permission to rant and rave and to rebel!  And, because you’ve felt voiceless and ignored, your newfound “rebel voice” makes you feel good.  It confirms you exist and convinces you that you do, in fact, matter.
But the economy still falters every now and then.  People still get laid off and then can’t find new jobs at a living wage.  People still lose their homes and cars.  People still do drugs (and some become addicts and some die).  Some people still commit violent crimes.  And despite all this, America is still a better place than most of the rest of the world, so people of different colors with different languages and different faiths and different sounding names keep coming here – legally or not.
Deep down inside, where you really don’t want to look – the fear remains.  And, as the fear grows – the anger grows.
And that (IMHO) is why “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) Republicans are always angry!
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On This Day In:
2023	But Try To Finish Some Thing (At Least One)
2022	Smoldering Or Burning?
	I’m Not Okay Either
2021	Make A Difference
	What’s That Sound? (For What It’s Worth)
2020	Promise Her In Music (Never My Love)
2019	But I’m Well Past 100 By Now
2018	Learn
	Land Of The Free, Because Of The Brave
	4 Appearances In A Row, 4 Wins To Go
2017	And Yet I’m Still Having Fun
2016	I See Coincidence Everywhere
	CA3: Civil War
2015	I Resemble That Remark… (5!)
2014	The Writer’s Dilemma
2013	Just Paying The Rent
2012	Remembering…
2011	A Little Farther

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