Anger can actually help societies succeed – but only when it’s justified.

Northern Ireland, 1980. The population is divided between those seeking reunification with Ireland and those loyal to Britain. Unfortunately, over the next decade, thousands are killed and wounded because of the conflict.

Iceland, 2017. The “Panama Papers” leak reveals that top government officials operate offshore tax havens. Reykjavik is flooded with protesters. They don’t leave until the government collapses.

Philadelphia, 2018. The Eagles win the Super Bowl. In the hours after the game, fans riot and tear up large parts of the city.

These seem like disparate actions, but they’re not. The uniting element is anger. This fiery emotion is a key driver of contemporary events. However, all anger isn’t the same. Indignation can work to rectify injustice, but it can also be used to discriminate and divide.

The key message here is: Anger can actually help societies succeed – but only when it’s justified.

Anger is an inherent part of society. Despite its bad reputation, it often serves a useful purpose. You see, anger reinforces the social norms we establish to protect the collective good. If an individual violates a norm by, say, cheating or stealing, they will be met with the collective ire of their peers. 

This form of collective anger can be called “moral outrage.” Fear of this fury is great for preventing people from acting selfishly; it can also fuel the fire needed to fix injustices. This was the case in Iceland. When citizens found out that politicians had been secretly shirking their duties, their moral outrage toppled the administration in favor of a more fair government. This is justified anger – that is, anger directed at the roots of actual injustice.

However, there is another form of collective anger that presents itself as tribalism. This anger encourages people to adhere to an identity group and aggressively attack those perceived as outsiders. It’s a collective response to stress, fear, and uncertainty. In modern politics, this tribalism often takes the form of nationalism. As we’re witnessing today, appealing to nationalism can be a very effective way to motivate voters without having to address any actual policy problems.

Just look around the globe for examples. Politicians like Narendra Modi in India, Viktor Orbán in Hungary, and Donald Trump in the United States have all used this type of anger to build political support. Specifically, Trump took the dissatisfaction felt by Americans in economically depressed regions of the country and transformed it into tribal anger against immigrants. It was effective in getting elected, but it didn’t solve any problems.

So, what are some legitimate sources of anger in today’s world? We’ll look at that question in the next blink.