In the past, I feel like political campaigns were at least somewhat careful not to overdo the negative ads on television. There seemed to be an understanding that people could only take so much before they started tuning everything out. Sure, there were attack ads, but they didn’t seem to completely take over every commercial break the way they do now. Unfortunately, I think we’ve reached a point in our culture where outrage has become almost an addiction, and political campaigns are more than happy to feed it.

Right now, watching a sporting event or even the local news is becoming almost unbearable. It feels like every other commercial is another political ad filled with accusations, fear, anger, and negativity. You can’t even sit down to enjoy a football game or catch up on what’s happening in your community without being bombarded by politicians telling you how terrible the other side is. And it’s not just political advertising. Outrage seems to drive everything these days, from social media to cable news to everyday conversations. We’ve created a culture where keeping people angry and worked up gets more attention than offering thoughtful ideas or actual solutions. The sheer volume of negativity is absolutely insane.

What I don’t understand is how campaigns think this constant negativity is actually helping anyone. At some point, you’d think people would stop listening and just get sick of the noise. But maybe that’s the bigger problem. We’ve become so addicted to outrage that the people producing this stuff know exactly what they’re doing. Anger gets attention, attention drives engagement, and engagement keeps the whole machine running. And honestly, that’s what makes me sad more than anything. It’s not just that we’re being fed a constant diet of negativity. It’s that this is apparently what works now. We’ve reached a point where nuance, thoughtful discussion, and recognizing that most issues aren’t simply black and white seem to have very little appeal. People want something to be furious about, someone to blame, and a side to root against. The loudest and angriest voices get rewarded, while reasonable conversations get drowned out. I find it genuinely sad that we’ve become a culture where outrage is more engaging than understanding, and being angry seems to matter more than being informed.