My jaw dropped as I read the letters to the editor Charles Brown posted in response to the Detroit Free Press series on Anger in America. Either there is a hyperactive chapter of the Take Back Your Time Day organization in the motor city or the issue of overwork and time pressure is as salient an issue as this Sandwichman and his colleagues has been saying it is. Without too much trouble, I plucked six examples from the bunch that I wouldn't hesitate a moment to use in promotional material for the Work Less Party. Now here comes the interesting part -- watching LBO to see if anybody else cares or even notices that here we have what appears to be a spontaneous expression on an incomparably organizable progressive issue that both addresses working class everyday lives and transcends class. As somebody once said, "We declare the limitation of the working day is a preliminary condition without which all further attempts at improvement and emancipation must prove abortive."
/*Moving too fast* The rapid pace of our daily lives is what's making us angry. We have created a culture in which we think we have to "own" everything. We try to get rich instead of just making a living and enjoying our relationships. It takes more and more time to make a living because employers expect more and more hours from workers -- without respect for families, time for relationships, relaxation, sleep, etc. Beverly J. Matthews New Castle, Ind. /
/*Find time* America is frustrated, which seems to lead to all this pent-up anger that spills out in the morning commute in the form of road rage. Today, life in America demands so much time from all of us that we're frustrated by the lack of time to do the things we really want to do. When we're 85 years old reflecting on our lives, what's going to stick out, all the hours spent commuting to and from work, or the days we made time to spend on the important things? Amanda Wampler Rochester /
/*Wrong lessons taught* People are just plain tired of not being able to do what they want to do. You have to excel -- win, win, win -- or you face the big "L" on your forehead. Look at how hard we push our kids in school. We need to go back to a much simpler lifestyle, where one income was enough to survive. Where we taught the value of, "It's not whether you win or lose; it's how you play the game." We need to teach our children the meaning of "please" and "thank you" before we teach them the square root of 100. Gerald J. Robbins Rochester Hills /
/*Interact with others* People are angry today because communication and relationships are deteriorating. We live in a world in which people can bank, shop, pay bills, communicate with coworkers, even take classes online, without human interaction. We, as humans, need that interaction, and that is leaving a hole in our lives, which leaves us feeling empty, alone and angry. We need to remember the importance of being involved with others, whether it is in our homes, families or workplace. Susan Formento Chesterfield Township /
/*Slow down* People in America are angry because they accept mediocrity in too many areas of their lives. We've forgotten how to dream and strive to be our best. Everyone is so busy because they are terrified to stop, look inward, and make a brutally honest assessment of who and where they are. Matthew Cote' Dearborn /
/*Create peace* I think people are angry because we are always in a hurry now, with e-mail, instant messaging and cell-phone calls. Your time is not your own, so you hurry everywhere, and others whose paths you cross are seen as intruders in your space. Susan Scharfenkamp Troy/