You Don't Have to Be Fake Mad on the Internet
A made up celebrity story and what it teaches us about the people who push us to be artificially angry
You may have missed the latest internet controversy. If so, kudos. You are living your life as a normal person and didn’t get caught up in faux outrage. But if you were scrolling social media last week, you might have seen everyone talking about a supposed rift between Taylor Swift and Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany. Mahomes is the superstar quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs and, well, you know who Taylor Swift is and you likely know her boyfriend is Travis Kelce, the superstar tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The fake controversy—and that’s what this is—began when some journalists noticed that Brittany apparently showed approval of some policy ideas that Donald Trump put on his Instagram account and then seemed to double down which, of course, generated a response by Trump. The media speculated that this might create a rift between the Mahomes and Kelces because Taylor Swift has been known to endorse and support Democratic candidates for president.
So, on Thursday night, when the Chiefs played the Ravens, all eyes were on the box suites where the families typically watch the game. And, this time, Taylor sat net to Kelce’s mother instead of sitting by Brittany Mahomes which lead to whole articles— articles written by journalists—claiming there was a huge rift in the friendship between these families because of politics. Yes, there was a news cycle with supposedly serious journalists breathlessly covering this like it was Watergate.
Except that none of it was true. This weekend, who shows up at the U.S. Open? Both couples, hanging out, enjoying a sporting event together, laughing and embracing. You know, like normal people who have friends and family with political differences.
I am writing about this frivolous, cotton-candy celebrity story only to illustrate a point that much of the outrage online is manufactured. It’s not even real. And the algorithms for the social media platforms are designed to make you mad! But, here’s the thing: you don’t have to be fake mad on the internet over fake outrages.
In his letters to Timothy and Titus, the Apostle Paul urged his proteges to resist the temptation to be “quarrelsome” and to not dig for things to be angry about. He says to “reject stupid and foolish arguments (2 Timothy 2:23).” This is especially important in an election year when the senses are more acute for potential offenses.
Getting mad about stupid, perhaps even unproven, things—a temptation in the church world as well—robs us of the energy and time and resources to fight for the truly good things. Paul also told Timothy to “fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).” Conflict is inevitable, but it should be restricted to actual battles over things worth preserving: what is true and good and beautiful.
In his book, The Mark of a Christian, Francis Schaeffer wrote: “When we have significant differences we should never come to them without tears and regret. There is a kind of person who rejoices in uncovering other people’s mistakes: this person loves the smell of blood. Instead, if we have tears, there can be beauty in the midst of differences.”
Some people wasted a weekend projecting anger over the seating arrangements of some celebrities at a football game all because of a story that wasn’t true. You don’t have to do that. You can keep scrolling and say, “This isn’t worth my emotional investment.” You can even stop scrolling and take a walk, read a book, or have a conversation with your family! All better options than faux digital anger.
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