Tantrums, Hissy Fits, and Conniptions --- Oh Please!

When someone is engaging in the above behaviors, we can usually agree it is most often a demand for attention. “Look at me! Look at me! Look at me! I have an important point to make and I am not going to take the time to discuss, talk, or engage in rational discourse. I am just going to rant, rave, and cause a huge disturbance in every one's life. Because my thoughts, ideas, ideology, and way of thinking is right and you are all wrong.”

As you have probably realized, I am not pointing out the conduct of the typical two or three year old who pitches a fit because she wants candy at the check-out line ---- This Blog Post is a direct response to the adult nonsense that has reached astounding and epic proportions on the international, national, and local levels.

Without naming individuals or circumstances, I am going to make this uncomplicated yet profound point: We must STOP rewarding bad behavior with our rapt attention! Ignore them! When we take away the power of the tantrum, they will stop or at least go away for a while, just like that two year old in the grocery store!

News media covers these bullies (yes, elementary fact, anyone who demands attention through abusive behavior is nothing more than a bully) and their deplorable conduct, because we news consumers listen and respond. Simply put, they understand that loutish behavior, titillation, and sensationalism sell!

In contrast, we should be actively seeking out positive narratives, the people doing amazing work, and the organizations who are making a difference; share, tweet, and comment on those stories. When the media realizes that we are engaged and paying attention to constructive, affirmative, optimistic, and empowering messages, they will be obliged to sell us more of what we ask for.

The truth is: Each of us has the ability to change the world, because we all have agency and innumerable life affirming tools, both figurative and literal; one of them is to simply put our hands over our ears and sing, “la, la, la, la, la....”

---