An angry economy

First things first: why is society angry with the economy? Politicians and economists keep telling us that the world is getting richer, healthier and older Heck, we never had it any better! An important question that should be asked, is ‘who is “we”’? Is it the middle class, the One Percent? Both? Statistics show that the gap between the rich and the poor is growing. Those with a lower income have to work more for a lower salary than 15 years ago. So while the world is steadily becoming richer, the distribution of that money is far from equal, tagging along stress and anxiety, polarization and confusion. Putting these emotions and social cultural shifts next to statistics claiming that the world is getting better — for everyone — is like comparing apples to oranges.
Recently, the book Angrynomics has been written by macro hedge-fund manager Eric Lonergan and economics professor Mark Blyth. Even though the book of ‘angrynomics’ talks about various angry moments in the economic history of the world, the timing of publishing — was perfect: during a pandemic, economic crisis, US elections and the Black Lives Matter Movement, feeling angry as an individual or group is a valid and recognizable emotion.

The hardware has changed

Where this anger comes from, can be best described as following: you just bought a new, expensive and modern smartphone. As you start using it, you discover that the software is outdated and not suitable for your screen size at all. What follows is an emotion that could best be described as frustration at first, that after a while transforms into outrage. Problem is: you can’t buy a better phone, because — in the universe of this metaphor — the telephone store doesn’t make a better one yet. You have to wait until the software engineers are ready to make suitable software.
At some point, you are just mad. You are fed up with this beautiful but useless phone, you want things to change. You don’t understand why the system won’t change along with the design of the device. You wish the systems in which mobile devices are made would be different.
The hardware has changed, but the software stayed behind. A lot of people in society have changed, but the systems in which they live, consume and behave have not.

A powerful emotion

Anger is a powerful emotion, and it is being used by Gen-Z and millennials to create awareness for events going on in the world that are not covered by the powerful and Western news platforms. 
Because apart from the Black Lives Matter Movement, there are many more things to act on in the name of moral injustice. It is the famine in Yemen that deserves more awareness and action. It is the Uyhgurs in China. It is the humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh, reignited by COVID-19. What all of these events have in common, is that they are all big challenges that unfortunately won’t change overnight.

Awareness is not enough

Because the systems and constructs are grand and powerful, and influence a long chain of industries, the harder it is for governments to change them — maybe even harder to do so during a pandemic and economical crisis. Another contemporary challenge we are dealing with at this time, is standing up and having the courage to be vulnerable and opening our eyes to confronting and uncomfortable truths.
The use of social media, evoking others to stop staying silent about injustice and communicate their anger is strong amongst Gen-Z. But awareness in an angry society is not enough, according to this mentality group: action is required, and Gen-Z is not afraid to fight for a better future.
The Black Lives Matter movement is a wake-up call for many, and with the power of social media baby steps are made. In The Netherlands amongst other countries, the history of slavery and racism is not a mandatory subject to teach in schools, contributing to (unconscious) racist behavior. This is a social construct many people never questioned, until three young women of colour did. A petition went round to mandatory teach racism issues in primary and middle schools. They also advocated for more diverse educational material such as books, videos and dolls to represent more skin colors than one. Four weeks later and thanks to social media, it was signed nearly 60,000 times and the lower house of de Dutch parliament passed the motion. It is the first and important step towards breaking the habit of racism, hopefully inspiring other youngsters to take the second step. Change is hard, for an individual — let alone for an entire group, race or country. But perhaps, the angriness of the world can unite society to make it a little more comfortable.
Anger: it’s used sometimes righteous, sometimes destructive. But it certainly is an important emotion to understand the sociological and economical constructions of the now. The conversation about race, injustice and moral outrage is ongoing and never-ending. It is not a signal, a trend or hype. This is a sociological construct rooted in our morals, education and behavior. Maybe the volume is turnt up right now because of current events, and it will be more silent some other time, but the music will keep playing.

Society is fueled by anger!

The world is angry, and it has been for quite a while now. Maybe you are too, because you’re tired of staying home or perhaps you lost your job or maybe… because you started to realize how racist the world actually is. Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Let’s explore why anger as an emotion is what we need to change society and its sociological constructs.

You can build an entire philosophical framework around the word “anger”. While it’s a familiar emotion, it exists in many forms and ways. Lonergan and Blyth made a dichotomy of term, ending up with moral outrage and tribal anger. The latter one could be best described as the outrage created in groups, and weaponizing themselves by using angry words and actions — like angry soccer fans. Moral outrage is a response to injustice, and has recently been very visible in the second Black Lives Matter movement. This specific form of anger is an important one for the coming years and its challenges, says Blyth.

How you can support

If donating money is not an option for you, there are many other ways to support this movement as a young activist.
  • YouTubers are donating their Adsense revenue to a variety of foundations. The more ads you watch in full, the more money that can be donated
  • Follow people of colour on your social media, or #sharethemic by giving them your space on Instagram to share their story and message
  • Sign petitions, and share them with your network
  • Do your research, and try to support brands and companies that advocate for diversity, and unfollow those who don’t
  • Watch, listen, read and educate yourself in your spare time
  • March together with allies if your country allows it
  • Take your time to evaluate what you see and learn while educating yourself, and stay-open minded
Podcasts to listen to on your daily commute
  • Unlocking Us with BrenĂŠ Brown, episode ‘BrenĂŠ with Ibram X. Kendi on how to be an Antiracist’ (June 3th, 2020)
  • 1619 from the New York Times, on how black people have been central to building American democracy, music and wealth
  • Intersectionality Matters! From The African American Policy Forum
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