The Daily Show: Ears Edition - America's Rage Addiction

Episode Date: July 8, 2021

In this segment from June 2021, Ronny Chieng learns about America's politically fueled addiction to outrage with the help of Yale University researcher Dr. James Kimmel Jr. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, wow.

Americans are really angry. Even this warm glass of milk at bedtime hasn't helped. It's almost like we're addicted to anger. At least that's what's going on according to Jimmy Kimmel. Wait, wrong Jimmy Kimmel. This guy is a conflict researcher at Yale, but he's as close as I'm going to get to network TV, so let's go with it. We now know from neuroscience studies that people can actually become addicted to a grievance revenge cycle. Okay, so political outrage is literally addictive,

like cocaine or the peloton or porn hub. Yeah, when you experience what you perceive to be mistreatment or unfairness, this triggers the reward circuitry in the brain, which creates a craving in the mind for retaliation. But Dr. Jimmy Kimmel, what is the problem with being angry at someone doing something shitty to you? And maybe you just go on Twitter and troll them endlessly forever? Well, how does that make you feel when you do that?

It makes you feel good. For how long, though? For I don't know, maybe like a minute. So when you retaliate against somebody you also experience the pain that you inflict and you know we're seeing that in our society that is being tempted further and further into you know a civil wars type of state. America's favorite late night host just got very dark. According to Jimmy Kimmel our former president helped supercharge America's favorite late night host just got very dark. According to Jimmy Kimmel, our former president helped supercharge America's rage climate and many of his imitators are still at it. You create grievances for your followers, then retaliate for them, which enrages the other

side who also retaliate, restarting the cycle. It's like a perpetual motion machine powered by petulant bullshit. One of the people who's been running on this grievance hamster wheel for the last four years is resistance warrior Jeffrey Gooderman. I developed a lifestyle over these last four years of replying to Trump. I was often the very first to reply whenever he tweeted. Right, so you're the kind of like theto reply whenever he tweeted. Right, so you're the kind of like the first responder of internet trolling. I was one of them.

Jeffrey would get his fix with a range of tweets, including this, piece the resistance. Wow. Without you, we'd be living in a full-blown dictatorship. Well, I wouldn't go that far. But there is a dark side to life as a first responder. Some of Jeffrey's tweets had unpleasant consequences. I did once reply to him with a tweet, you should be executed. That led to my second visit with the Secret Service. Just so I'm clear, you are a mental health counselor, right?

Correct. I'm also human, Ronnie. I would get annoyed at the Trump supporters who replied to me with the most vile things, death threats, things about my family. The negativity that I experienced was just a lot for me to handle. Jeffrey was a perfect example of the terrible toll of being trapped in a cycle of retaliation. So does Dr. Jimmy Kimmel have a cure for America's rage addiction?

The ultimate solution for all forms of revenge seeking is forgiveness. So we've been working on a method where you get to put somebody who wrongs you through an imaginary criminal trial. And during this trial, you become the victim, the defendant, the judge, and even the judge of yourself at the final judgment. Wow, a courtroom role play in which you become all the characters to help you come to terms of the person who wronged you. I know someone that might help.

And who better to guide him through a process than a guy who just found out about it two minutes ago? If you could close your eyes for a second and just imagine you're in a courtroom setting. There's tons of white people. It's very comfortable. I'm comfortable with black people, you know, Asian people, all types. How many Asian friends do you have? Okay, let's just, it's fine.

Now, you're the victim in the courtroom. Tell us what Trump did to. Uh, Trump attacked human rights. Can I open my eyes now? No, no, keep them close, please. How did that make you feel? Disturbed, anxious, nervous, fearful for our country. Okay, now you're still in the courtroom, pretend that you're Trump. What do you have to say for yourself? You're obviously misguided. You're part of a democratic party. Now part of the Democratic Party.

Now you're the judge in this courtroom. You just heard both sides. What's your verdict? I would say based on the evidence, Trump is guilty. Okay. Are you ready to let go of all the pain that Trump inflicted on you? You know, I don't forgive him. Can I open my eyes? No. This was a dark time in our history and we should never forget. So I, I'm not, I'm not ready to forgive. Okay. I'm sorry, something went wrong and I think we came out of it angrier than we went in.

Jimmy Kimmel's cure was an absolute failure. And until we can find a way for Americans to overcome their rage addiction I know two things for sure. One, outrage is a hell of a drug and two, this guy's never opening his eyes again. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Ears Edition. Subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives.

But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts.