BY AARDE WRITES for WEEKLY VOLCANO 4/3/26 |
Hey Aarde,
I just finished watching A Handmaid’s Tale, and my god, I am terrified. I feel an inner rage that is boiling to the point of exploding. Is this really possible? To go so far back in time in our modern age? What can I do to make a difference? This can’t be our future, right?
Signed
Scared Shitless
Hey Scared Shitless,
I feel for you as you process these very big feelings. That book (television series), among many others, gives us a taste of what has and can happen. But that does not mean that we are helpless. Change comes about when communities use their outrage selectively, creating pathways for social change and shifts in perspective.
Selective outrage is not just an emotional response. It can be a strategic tool for a social movement. A Handmaid’s Tale shows us what women can do when they choose to express their outrage to draw attention to specific injustices, focusing public energy on reforms that can realistically occur. Outrage can become a purposeful communication, signaling that social and moral expectations have been violated.
Let’s break down what I mean when I say “selective outrage.” Generally speaking, when grandiosity is constant, it can undermine influence. It can desensitize the audience and weaken the impact of the message.
So we must select our outrage and use it as a form of strategic expression. This will allow us to prioritize key issues, concentrate collective attention, and preserve our moral authority. This would allow the greatest consequences in moments that demand change by avoiding reactive or scattered responses. Coordinating our outrage is a way of setting the agenda for change to come about.
Okay, I am sure there are some pacifists out there reading this and thinking, “outrage is unhealthy,” but here is the truth of it: outrage is an emotion built into our being. It is a natural response to a perceived injustice, and many of your ancestors used outrage to create environments where you can exercise your right to act out pacifism. Learning how to express your natural outrage in a healthy way can channel productive social participation: community organizing, policy advocacy, public discourse and storytelling, and creative or cultural expression. Just as constructive criticism makes us better humans, constructive outrage can transform emotional response into civic engagement and reform efforts.
The Handmaid’s Tale author, Margaret Atwood, demonstrates how a dystopian society, where authoritarian systems can suppress women’s agency. This can be seen in her portrayal of strict social roles for women, a fragmentation of female solidarity, and in her monitoring and controlling communication. We can see how open, unorganized outrage can be dangerous and that any resistance must become strategic and coordinated to challenge systemic oppression. If you do not believe me, ask the history books.
I am currently reading a book about Frances Perkins, the woman behind the New Deal, who played a major role in shaping New Deal policies like Social Security, labor laws, and unemployment insurance. During the 1930s, women helped translate social outrage about poverty, prostitution, women’s health, workers’ rights, and inequality into institutional reforms. Frances used grassroots organizing around economic security and labor rights, focusing on family stability and social welfare, and worked alongside Franklin Delano Roosevelt to create policies that we all benefit from today. This example shows how moral urgency can produce lasting structural change.
You might be asking what this outrage is all about, perhaps reading into the matriarchal aspect of my response. It has arisen due to institutions threatening human dignity, safety, and generational stability. One thing to keep in mind as I explain this: it has nothing to do with hating men. This outrage is morally focused on prioritizing children, family, community, and the protection of future generations. Men fit into community and family. They are great protectors and have solid roles within this structure. We need you. With collective caregiving for our generations to come, we need as many as we can get for long-term societal resilience.
So now what? Here is a framework for constructive outrage we can hold onto when a storm gathers in our chests and thunder presses against our tongues:
Focus on identifying structural injustices rather than reacting to every grievance. (Pick your battles
Demonstrate moral urgency in ways that capture public attention. (Well done on the No Kings Protest!)
Transform individual frustration into coordinated movements. (Find community
Convert social pressure into laws, programs, and institutional reforms. (Talk to your lawmakers)
Let us look at history and art when making our decisions on how to move forward within our societies. When directed strategically, especially through a child-centered, community-oriented lens, selective outrage becomes a catalyst for societal recalibration and reform, something that Margaret Atwood, George Orwell, Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Octavia E. Butler, and Ursula K. Le Guin each, in their own way, illuminate through worlds where moral urgency, injustice, and the possibility of transformation collide.
Stay strong, my friend. I prefer to believe that the light always wins.
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
Do you have a question for Ask Aarde? Send it to: jdaarde@gmail.com
