The Outrage Racket
Source: Keziah Daums prom dress caused an uproar in the U.S. — but not in China
There must be a factory somewhere in which the only final product is the OUTRAGE of the day. This is a kind of reverse process factory which turns the standard industrial process on its head. Instead of compiling and processing raw resources, employing people and creating a useful and socially beneficial product, the outrage business uses no resources, employs no one and creates a product which is destructive to society. While many may notice the similarity to the law business, we note that at the very least, lawyers cause staff to be employed in law schools. They are the way they are after an education.
With the wide open access to information and available today, any and everyone can have their voices heard on any topic. While idyllic in theory, what actually happens is that the many fringe voices heretofore suppressed by common decency, common sense or just plain old grade school logic are given publicity beyond what these individual shrunken heads deserve. Networks are keen to get eyeballs so they scan for people whose opinions and views would normally get them into a suit with extra long arms tied at the back. It’s like opening the door to get fresh air; you also let in the flies and no see ums.
The outrage industry is now moving to characterize any and all cultural items, regardless of their insignificance, to represent some sort of imagined cultural appropriation and yada, yada, yada…straight to outrage. The purveyors of this institutionalized stupidity are rarely numerous in number…at least at first. Typically the outrage gestates from some college sensitivity class, but then the headline starved media latches on to it and voila! Cars burn, windows are broken and Canadian Prime Minsters weep.
The favorite card that liberals like to play is the diversity card. We should all get along, love everyone, respect differences, be one people etc etc etc. Apparently this inclusiveness works only if everyone stays in their own lane. Who knew that Bo Derek was being disrespectful when she came onto the screen wearing corn rows in the 1979 film, 10 ? Who knew that eating with chopsticks at an Asian restaurant is disrespectful, unless you are a card carrying Asian. Cowboy hats and boots, well they’re out of bounds now unless you’ve actually ridden a horse. That means sombreros are out. What about fried chicken? Who gets ownership of that?
From hamburgers to air travel, from automobiles to eyeglasses, washing machines to plumbing; much of what we take for granted in modern society was created by people from various racial groups. If using these items means culturally appropriating the property of others, then there’s going to be a lot of near sighted hungry people walking to the river to wash clothes.
Someone needs to invent a mute button on computers and television. When a topic arises that is so preposterous that there is no tether at all to logic, you should be able to delete that item permanently from ever appearing again. Of course the big benefit is the paring down of all of the flotsam that passes as news content. Who has time for all this fake news when we’re trying to delve into The Donald’s most recent outrage?