What Does It Take To Make You Angry?

Have you thought about this; what does it take to make you angry?

We all have the capacity to be angry. There are times when we should be angry!

When I was a boy, one of my favorite movie stars was the cowboy Wild Bill Elliott. I especially liked it when he would say …

“I’m a peace-loving man, but a peace-loving man can only be pushed so far!”

How far is that for you?

Late on a Saturday afternoon, I arrived in Myrtle Beach with my travel-weary family for a week’s vacation. On the way to the condo I had rented we  stopped at a quick-service restaurant to pick up hamburgers, so we could get on the beach as soon as possible.

The restaurant was crowded and the lines to the counter were long. Immediately, an overwhelmed teen-aged worker caught my attention.

The name on her badge was “Rhonda,” surely this was her first day on her first job; I have seen her situation many, many times and my heart went out to her. I was glad to be in her line and have the opportunity to encourage her.

That’s when the trouble started.

Suddenly this old self-appointed comedian with a big loud mouth began belittling Rhonda by making ugly comments about her  to his wife. He talked so loud everyone waiting to be served could hear him. Maybe, he wanted all of us to know how clever he was.

Referring to Rhonda he said, “That girl forgot to wake up this morning.” Ha Ha! “I wonder what’s between her ears.” Ha Ha Ha!

His wife obviously admired his wit as she laughed at every word. No one else in the restaurant thought he was funny.

When he came to the counter to give her his order, the unkind comments continued firing directly at her, “Did you forget wake up this morning.” Ha Ha! “What have you got between
your ears, air?” Ha Ha!

That made me intensely angry!

I remembered what Wild Bill Elliott said about situations like this one, “I’m a peace-loving man, but a peace-loving man can only be pushed so far!”

So I confronted the loud-mouth jerk with this question,

“Does it make you feel good to make her feel bad?”

[ Absolute silence in the restaurant ]

Every eye was on me and this loud-mouthed old guy. I expected people to clear the tables and move back for a barroom brawl like I had seen in western movies.

His wife said, “My husband is not a bad guy, he’s just teasing.” The jerk said, “I really didn’t mean it. I was just having fun with her.”

I told him. “What you are doing is not fun for Rhonda.”

As I left, the old guy met me at the door and said, “You got my wife very upset.”

I replied, “Think about what you did to Rhonda.”

What Does It Take To Make You Angry?

It makes me angry to see young people bullied. I am especially sensitive about it when anyone criticizes, belittles or humiliates young people who are trying to learn.

I remember being young and a slow learner! Do you remember your first job?

Let’s encourage the young and the slow learners. And, don’t let any bullies discourage them!

What Does It Take To Make You Angry? There are times when we should be angry.

Do you agree?

—Jimmy Collins 

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