3 days ago
'Anger has become, from Trump to Le Pen, a powerful weapon for the far right'
Not since two generations ago has an era simultaneously provided so many reasons for anger and fear as our own. From the state of the world to that of society, from wars to social injustice, from the recklessness of some leaders and the powerlessness of politics, to the rise of nationalism, climate defeatism, and the lack of constructive ideas – a list of reasons for outrage could fill this entire column. While it may feel like we have reached a peak, the rise of "anger" as a theme in political debate and media coverage has been building for two decades, as shown, for example, by the striking increase in the use of that word in Le Monde 's headlines.
Fifteen years ago, the late Stéphane Hessel, former member of the Resistance and concentration camp survivor, sparked enthusiasm with his pamphlet Indignez-vous! (Time for Outrage!), which called for rejecting xenophobia, the erosion of social rights, and the "dictatorship" of financial markets. In 2017, left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) members set themselves the goal of "tapping into people's anger." A driving force for social change since the dawn of time, indignation can be harnessed for progress.
"When anger is based on moral arguments, expresses norms, and occurs in a context of ongoing injustice, it can have a powerful effect on collective transformation (...). Major protest movements are often triggered by a personal grievance with which others then identify," writes Eva Illouz, who, in Explosive modernité. Malaise dans la vie intérieure ("Explosive modernity: Malaise in interior life", untranslated), analyzes the link between our emotions and the world's upheavals.
The proliferation of reasons for outrage can seem like a positive trend, as it reflects the spread of democratic culture and the rejection of discrimination. The gap between the promises of the republican motto and lived reality, the betrayal of meritocracy – these feed a tide of legitimate anger. So too does the explosion of vast and protected fortunes, while precariousness in lifestyles, work, and income only worsens, amplified by algorithms. That our tolerance for the intolerable has decreased seems like good news.
