The Value of Anger

I just felt I needed to share this with you all. It may not seem to have much to do with our recent readings, but it is important in the grand scheme of things going on in our county right now. This incredibly moving video is Star Wars actor John Boyega speaking out about racism. I thought it was important, not just because I feel it's important to amplify black voices at this time, but also because I think this is a wonderful example of the kind of self-regulated, organized, anger which can be productive in a movement. When you watch the video, you'll see that he advocates for a peaceful protest. He advocates for an organized protest. However, during this speech he expresses a lot of anger. It is deep and moving. You can tell it comes from a place of emotion, but it is so well-regulated by Boyega that it lends strength to his speech. He says, "I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this, but..." followed by a series of expletives which I imagine are something like, "fuck that!" or "I don't fucking care!" He does not bury his anger. He does not opt for a less aggressive route. He is not rioting in the streets, but he is angry and he isn't holding back.

To bring this full circle with this class, one of the things which we witness in Nanette is Gadsby's anger. She does not try to hide this anger. She addresses it when she says, "Look, I am angry...people say it's not my place to be angry on a comedy stage. People feel safer when men do the angry comedy. They're the kings of the genre" (Gadsby). She makes the very significant point that men have put anger into comedy, so why can't she? She then goes on to say that, "The only way I can tell my truth and put tension in the room is with anger. And I am angry and I believe I have a right to be angry, but what I don't have a right to do is spread anger...because anger, much like laughter, can connect a room full of strangers like nothing else" (Gadsby). She advocates very much for the importance of anger, in comedy, and in life. She also makes the important distinction that one's anger, while it can be a useful tool for furthering social justice, is not an excuse to spread this anger and let it turn into hate because anger is human, but what leads to the loss of humanity is "[Believing] that [one] has the right to render another human being powerless," and that doing so is weakness. It takes a lot of strength to hold anger, acknowledge it, and turn it into one of the most powerful tools that one can have in furthering a movement, fostering change, or simply opening people's eyes to the injustice that is right in front of them, without letting it turn into something hateful which spreads and dehumanizes others. Boyega and Gadsby both are practicing a kind of self-regulated and organized anger which can be truly productive. While the platforms which each of these individuals are using are two very different platforms, they each demonstrate an important point, that anger can unite us, and when it's used in a well-organized manner it can make big changes.