Expressing Anger

One reason why some people have mental problems is that they suppress their anger. I grew up in a family where everyone was expected to smile, and laugh their way through adversity. Of course, holding anger is a highly dangerous thing to do. For me, even recognising that I am angry is sometimes hard. Now I am living in isolation it is very easy to dwell on negative thoughts far too much. This morning I felt in a rage about the situation I find myself in, not only because I am angry over the government’s mismanagement of the corona crisis, but also the long term inequalities in our society and my inability to do anything about them. Most people like me will be highly stressed about what has happened but feel helpless to do anything about it. So to help me cope I need to get things off my chest. This morning my maxim is 'get angry, not anxious.'

For the past 10 years, I have watched our NHS being starved of resources, and doctors and nurses leaving because they feel unsupported, unappreciated and massively over-worked. Most public employees are in the same position. Austerity was not a necessity but an ideological preference. David Cameron and George Osborne blamed the labour party for the world recession that we all know was caused by the banks acting irresponsibly and gambling with other people’s money. A part of their neo-liberalistic plan was to reduce the size of the public sector and leave ordinary people to pay the price.

I am also angry with the people I meet who accept this grotesque version of our reality but I’m not surprised. Unless you have a true balance of opinions provided by the press and television channels you can’t have a true democracy. 80% of the press espouse a right-wing philosophy and bombard the general public with dubious facts, vitriol and in some cases downright lies. These media outlets are owned by billionaires most of whom do not live in this country and don’t pay our taxes. Despite this, they are able to invest in politics and the media, and create a society that protects their position and reflects their view.  

So we now have a government supported by many working-class people. This, to me, is a nationwide version of ‘Stockholm syndrome.’ We appear to love the very people who are suppressing our freedoms and opportunities. What is even more galling is that, in reference to the current crisis, this government has wasted so much valuable time in taking action. We have had two months to prepare but it is only now that the cabinet is taking any action. Safety equipment for NHS workers is still in short supply, testing has been neglected so we can’t judge what progress is being made, ministers are giving different accounts of what is happening to the evidence given by those working in the NHS. Respirators are in short supply and finally industry is being asked to help. With a Prime Minister who has made a living out of exaggeration and telling lies, I know who I believe. Analogies with being at war and irrelevant news bites and slogans won’t cut it Boris. We need sound planning and you are not managing this crisis but reacting to it. The crisis does feel like the First World War, which was characterised by incompetent Generals sending brave men to be slaughtered. What we need for these times are outstanding poets who tell it as it is. Step forward the next Wilfred Owen.
This blog was written to help me cope with a difficult situation. If people also read it then that is a bonus.