Anger: the emotion of our century?

Since the early 2000s, movements have been fueled by anger. Whether it's the first anti-globalization protests, the "Black Lives Matter" movement, the Yellow Vests, extreme right-wing groups or climate movements, what emerges from the slogans is above all the rage of dispossession. Marginalized populations (or those with the impression of being marginalized) are crying out for dignity to be regained.

Political science professor Carlo Invernizzi Acceti calls our period the "Enraged Twenties", a nod to the "Thirty Glorious Years". Anger is truly becoming the driving force behind movements, but is this a good thing? For a long time, this emotion was considered a temporary folly or a cardinal sin.

Today, it depends on who's thinking. Some believe that certain types of anger are essential to getting things done and gaining rights. At one time, intermediary groups such as churches, unions and the like were people's "banks of rage". But these bodies have lost their lustre over time. Today, it's all about networks, with all their good and bad.

Is this period coming to an end? For Professor Acceti, perhaps the anger that proposes will become the norm, as in New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's campaign.

Running time: 5:27

Image: Olya Adamovich from Pixabay