ctrl + alt + revolt

Republicans are banning books, attacking immigrants, passing anti-trans laws, and openly fantasizing about political violence. Meanwhile, liberals are still tweeting “This is not normal” and designing perfectly color-coordinated infographics.

Do we really think we can shift the culture with Canva slides? With bold fonts and bright colors? With politely worded statements and careful, measured tones?

We need to talk about why this keeps happening.

In her book Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of Rage, Fear, and Laughter in the United States, scholar Dannagal Young explains a crucial point: right-wing media is built on outrage, while left-wing media is built on irony. The right feeds its audience fear, threat, and urgency. The left responds with satire, sarcasm, and detached cleverness.

And let’s be honest—which one is working?

I’m not saying we should start lying, fearmongering, or becoming violent extremists. However, I believe it’s time to stop being so calm. It’s time to stop treating outrage as if it’s unserious, or as if we’re above it. It’s time to be louder, angrier, unapologetic, and unafraid. 

We are afraid to be angry. The right has spent years successfully branding the left as “radicals,” “lunatics,” and “unhinged extremists.” And even though we know it’s wrong, some part of us, maybe subconsciously, seems to believe it—because we tiptoe around our own rage. We lower our voices, over-explain our emotions, and police our tone so we don’t give them ammunition. But that’s the trap: they’ve convinced us to silence ourselves. And it’s working. The “radical left”narrative isn’t just propaganda; it has actually been weaponized so effectively that it shapes our behavior even when we think we’re resisting it. They have manipulated us into silencing ourselves. 

We need to be crazier.

The Left’s Obsession With Being “Reasonable”

The modern left (myself included), is obsessed with being seen as thoughtful, informed, nuanced, and rational. There’s a deep cultural pressure to be calm—especially among liberals who want to appear above the noise. We critique, we joke, we mock. We post memes about how we are so doomed and trust that being right will eventually be enough. But it’s not. As Young puts it, political irony can soothe, but it won’t mobilize. Outrage, on the other hand, activates.

We use satire to signal intelligence, to feel in control, not to look “unhinged.” But irony doesn’t change minds, it doesn’t spark movements, it doesn’t compel anyone to act.

Irony is a coping mechanism. Outrage is a catalyst. And while we’re trying to sound “reasonable,” the other side is writing and rewriting history.

The Right’s Use of Outrage and Why It Works

The right has mastered emotional manipulation. From Fox News to Trump rallies to the rise of extremist parent groups like Moms for Liberty, their strategy is outrage. Always has been. They tap into fear, grievance, loss, and identity panic. They don’t try to sound smart; they try to sound right. They use chaos to energize their base, and they win elections with it because outrage sticks. 

Anger activates. It drives action. Fear gets people to the polls. Grievance gets them organized. Liberals love to mock how “crazy” the right looks and sounds (again, myself included), but crazy wins elections. And maybe it’s time we stop fighting fire with snark.

As a poli sci major, I used to automatically assume that people took their civic duty to vote as seriously as I did. To me, it was a given that people knew the responsibility and the power they held on their ballot – that they’d read, research, and act accordingly. I can’t believe I thought that way. It wasn’t until my sophomore year, in a Campaigns and Elections class, that my professor said, “The rest of the country is not the same kind of voter as you guys.” And… duh, right? I’m surprised it took me so long to fully grasp this reality. Most voters are not digging through policy PDFs. They’re not making decisions based on facts. They are not following climate science and economic data. They don’t know how the system works, and frankly, they’ve been intentionally misled. (See: the recent and painful revelation that most Americans did not know what a tariff is.)  People are voting based on emotion, on fear, on the narratives they’ve been fed, what they’ve been made to feel. They vote to protect what they’ve been told to protect, to defend what they’ve been told is under threat, regardless of if it’s true or not. 

However, I do think that there are some qualities that define the left: such as knowledge, education, and critical thinking. These are essential. But we need to stop thinking that information alone will save us. It won’t. It clearly hasn’t been. 

While we’re making infographics, they’re storming the Capitol. And no, I DO NOT support violence. I absolutely reject everything that day stood for.

But I do support intensity. And we need more of it. 

History Was Not Changed by People Who Stayed Calm

We need to discuss what actually creates change, because it’s not moderation, it’s not polite debate, and it’s definitely not staying quiet until we “know enough” to speak on something. 

What actually creates change is rage, refusal, and disruption. The Civil Rights Movement was not calm. It was sit-ins, protests, and collective rage. Stonewall was a riot. The labor movement was born from strikes, blockades, and resistance. Abolitionists were called extreme, radical, and dangerous. ACT UP, Black Lives Matter, the Women’s March, pro-Palestine student uprisings, none of it was about being palatable.

Outrage was never the problem; it was the spark.

As one of my favorite sayings goes: Well-behaved women seldom make history.

And neither do well-behaved citizens.

Stop Apologizing for Being Angry

If you’ve ever been called too political, too emotional, or too intense, genuinely, congratulations. You’re probably someone I’d love to be friends with.

These phrases are designed to silence us, to make us doubt ourselves, and to keep us quiet and manageable. But we don’t owe anyone calm, especially not now.

Outrage is not chaos; it’s clarity. 

It’s how we survive in a world actively trying to silence, erase, and dehumanize people.

Let them call us radical, let them call us dramatic, let them call us crazy. They already do!!!! Better to be called “too much” than not to be noticed at all. 

So, please, stop whispering, stop shrinking, stop apologizing.

We are not too angry, we’re awake.

Outrage Is a Strategy, Let’s Use It

We don’t need more centrism. We don’t need more neutral infographics or clever clapbacks.

We don’t need to beg people to care in just the right tone. We need fire. We need fury. We need unapologetic, relentless, organized outrage.

We’re not losing because we’re wrong; we’re losing because we’re quiet. They want us to stay calm, collected, and polite. We should be loud, relentless, and impossible to ignore.