Staff Editorial: Know the Difference Between Rage and Hate

In the week since former President Donald Trump was re-elected to a second term, the already wide partisan gap has only seemed to increase as supporters of the president-elect celebrate a clear-cut victory and demoralized Democrats wonder where it all went wrong. 

The only consistent responses on both sides of the aisle have been emotions running high. 

Impassioned responses to political change are normal, justifiable and even occasionally necessary given the unprecedented nature of this election. And yet, letting these emotions vindicate hateful ideologies isn’t just harmful, but is counterproductive to what the nation needs right now. 

Since the election, online acts of hate speech have skyrocketed. Black individuals nationwide have received racist messages from unknown numbers telling them they were “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation,” according to CNN. Although the messages’ origins haven’t yet been identified, many have connected them to Trump’s victory. 

“The unfortunate reality of electing a president who, historically, has embraced and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes,” NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson said. “These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday’s election results.”

This week has also garnered a surge of misogynistic social media posts from Trump’s supporters who, emboldened by the former president’s triumph, have laid claims to women’s bodies online with adages like “your body, my choice,” according to MSNBC. 

These hateful ideologies, directly fueled by Trump’s rhetoric, are horrifying, unconscionable and, above all else, dangerous. The perpetuation of these harmful beliefs in day-to-day interactions add fervor to growing momentum in favor of passing legislation which could restrict the rights, protections and freedoms of women, people of color and others in minority standing. 

When so many people’s rights and privileges are under threat by supporters of the president-to-be, responses of fear and rage are warranted — but this doesn’t mean these feelings should blossom into tangential forms of hate. 

Respect and responsibility are two-way streets. As election aftermath and pervasive polarization become increasingly entwined with ideologies of hate, it’s important to channel anger into productivity. The progressive way forward is to strategize when to lean into catalyzing change with feelings of rage and when to take the proverbial high road. 

Stooping to vitriol equal to that of bigots only polarizes people further and gives credence to radical far-right slander. 

Don’t let the flames of post-election anger dwindle, but be sure they don’t morph into something more insidious. It’s important — now more so than ever — to channel anger into action fostering progressive change, rather than using it to stunt discourse, further polarization and villainize those who seem to disagree.

The Phoenix Editorial Board consists of Griffin Krueger, Catherine Meyer, Lilli Malone, Hailey Gates, Brendan Parr and Andi Revesz.