LOVE LETTER TO OUTRAGE

When I see injustice around me, my blood boils. A switch flips in my head and I go ballistic. Research says that we react most strongly to the things that personally affect us. Our immediate self-interest and personal relevance are the most powerful drivers of our emotional response. The premise is that since I was mistreated as a kid, I freak out when it happens to others.

In my 20’s, I was at a grocery store when I heard a child scream. I stepped around the corner and witnessed a mother pulling her two-year old by the hair. She was literally dragging her down the aisle by her braid. When the child began to cry, the mother slapped her hard. I was livid.

“How dare you use your strength against a helpless child!” I said in a voice that shocked even me.

“Don’t you tell me how to treat my child,” she roared back. The little girl’s eyes went wide as if amazed that someone had taken her side.

“I will,” I said. “And I’m telling the manager right now.”

“You do that,” she said haughtily.

I did tell the manager, but he said there was nothing he could do. That made me even madder. Despite the fact the mother was twice my size and age, I stood at the counter until she came up to pay. Then I glared at her and said, “Shame on you.” Not a year passes that I don’t wonder about that little girl. I’ve since learned a little outrage is actually healthy.

Recently, a fellow at my pickleball club was shut out from a game not once, but twice! I was furious. He is on the spectrum and says, “I’m a 40-year-old man who acts like a grinning 12-year-old.” But here’s the kicker: He was a better player than the men who shut him out!! Outraged, I asked for his paddle, put it in the rack and said to the others, “He’s in your next game. Period!”

Ironically, it has always been easier for me to stand up for a stranger than myself. As a child I learned surviving meant tolerating abuse and saying nothing. My best defense then was a big smile and zipped lips. I still have both. Perhaps that’s why I write. It’s my love letter to those who are reluctant to speak up.

P. S. Share something that outrages you and why you think it does. If you feel so inclined, share it with us below.