Free Speech: Why Are Some Students Full Of Rage?

If someone has watched at least one video of a speaker give a talk at a university, they may have seen a number of students try to silence the speaker. After seeing this, they may have wondered what was going on.

This would have been somewhere where people are supposed to go to engage their brain, but it would have been as though these people were unable to do this. Instead, their mind would have been closed and they would have resorted to violence.

On The Outside

Nevertheless, while it might have made them curious and even caused them to feel uncomfortable; they wouldn’t have had to experience this first-hand. One can then carry on with the rest of their life after watching a video like this.

Alternatively, they can take a deeper look into what is going on; it is all going to depend on how much of an impact this has on them. On the other hand, if someone has been to one of these talks and experienced this in person, it is likely to be different.

Part of Life

This could be something that they have experienced on a number of occasions whilst they have been at university. But even if they have become accustomed to this kind of behaviour, it doesn’t mean that they accept it.

They could say that these kinds of people are out of control and need to seek professional help. Then again, they could be more concerned with how uncomfortable they feel around them.

The Civilised Approach

If they have this perspective, it can mean that they are at university to develop themselves. Therefore, even if they hear things that make them feel uncomfortable, they are not going to try to silence others.

They will question what they are told and be willing to change what they believe. Their desire to grow is then going to be far more important than their need to be right, which is then why they are university to begin with.

Out of Control

One way of looking at this kind of behaviour would be to say that it is no different to how some people behave when they have had too much to drink; they are going to be filled with rage and this stops them from being able to experience self-control. The difference here is that when someone behaves in this was at a university; they can believe that they have the moral high ground.

Someone like this is then going to be right and this is what gives them the right to behave in this manner. And, through being so attached to what they believe, it stops them from being able to step back and to reflect on their own behaviour.

A Big Problem

What this emphasises is how dangerous it can be when someone is convinced that their views are right and the people who have different views are wrong, regardless of whether their views stand up to scrutiny. This person is going to reject anything that goes against what they believe.

It is then clear that someone like this shouldn’t be anywhere near a university; if anything, they would be more suited to being part of a government that has absolute force over its citizens. They are not interested in respecting other people boundaries, and this is why they are happy to violate other people’s personal space.

A Closer Look

What needs to be looked at is why someone like this is so full of rage, can’t control themselves, and why they are happy to walk over others. Due to how they behave, it would be far better for them to fix themselves than to try to change the world.

If they were able to take a step back and to reflect on their own behaviour, they might soon realise that they are doing more harm than good. Yet, unless they are able to calm down and to think rationally, this is not going to take place.

Avoidance

Someone like this is likely to believe that they are responding is this manner due to what is taking place around them. However, there is a strong chance that they were full of rage before they even started university.

When they experience rage, they are going to feel strong and powerful; it could be as though they are invincible. But if they were to let go of this rage, they could end up feeling powerless and ashamed.

Two Options

As a result of this, it is not going to be hard to see why they are often consumed with rage. If they were to embrace how they feel at a deeper level, they would soon hit rock bottom and this would cause them face up to the shame that they continually try to project onto others.  

This is also explains why someone like this acts as though they are morally superior to just about everyone else - it allows them to disconnect from how bad they feel about themselves. Their behaviour is not a reflection of how moral they are; it is a mask that they wear to feel better.

The Cause

At the beginning of this person’s life, they may have been abused and/or neglected by their caregiver/s, and this means they would have experienced trauma. Through being violated at this stage in their life, they would have experienced rage and felt powerless and, as they were egocentric at this age, it would have caused them to believe that there was something inherently wrong with them.

Facing how they feel is going to be too hard for them to handle and this is why they have gone from being a victim to acting like a perpetrator. This is someone who is in a lot of pain, with this being the reason why they cause other people to experience pain.

Conclusion

What this shows is how hard it can be for someone to tolerate their own shame; it is far easier to project it onto others. The downside to this is that one is not going to be taking responsibility for their own pain.
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The ideal would be for them to face up to how they feel and then to reach out for the right support; this would allow them to gradually heal themselves and this would stop them from harming others. If someone does want to heal themselves, this can take place with the assistance of a therapist or a healer.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk