The Rant

It feels good to rant sometimes. My own rants tend to contain some really good arguing points almost entirely drowned out by swear words. I like to think of Denis Leary as my role model when I do this.

But it feels good. At least at the moment.

I usually keep my rants to myself. When I do let out it is usually to a sympathetic party or in some cases to innocent bystanders who have nothing at stake in the rant. So usually no one gets hurt.

What I am curious about is whether the Rant is effective if actually aimed at the offending party.

I ping pong back and forth between being Zen and not putting up with bad behavior.

I mean with bullying they say standing up to them is the only way to stop their bullying. I’m stuck between people won’t change if you don’t “help” them and people just don’t want or like to change and the effort is wasted.

What I usually see people do is become defensive and entrenched when ranted at, and understandably so. I always wonder if your rant can be so powerful and effective that it crushes these defenses and actually gets to the other person. Wishful thinking perhaps.

My favorite place I want to rant is while driving. The amount of self-absorbed, aggressive behavior people have while they are in their cars is astounding. I don’t mean I want to engage in road rage. I mean I want to rant at someone for being a self-absorbed, needlessly aggressive road-rager.

Here’s an awesome Idaho PSA about aggressive driving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXbmHEhc2yQ

The best is that these aggressive drivers think they are impregnable in their cars.  I will tell you, though I am not recommending this, that all that bravado slips away if you actually get out of your car and approach them. Except for anger management failures. Stay away from them.

Maybe rants are most useful as those scathing letters/e-mails you never send. Blow the steam off.

But who knows, one day I may let someone have it.