Venting is a statement of belief as well as emotional and physiological expression.

Those cognitions take the form of publicly circulated narratives about difficulties we’ve encountered.

Modern culture both causes frustration and offers safety zones for complaining.

Last Sunday, my favorite football team lost a game. There’s nothing remarkable about that.

However, it was the way they lost that provoked me. They were well ahead at halftime, shutting out a heretofore winless squad. After the break, however, a series of error-filled plays ensued. The losing team rallied and gained confidence. What looked like certain victory for my home side became a collapse of commitment and, seemingly, character.

Having no one to complain to, I consulted a social media site for “fan reactions” to the debacle. What I discovered was a treasure trove of abusive comments posted just after the game. Nostrils flaring, writers claimed that both the coach and general manager should be fired. The players, save for a couple, were declared both overpaid and incompetent. Several people said they would no longer be supporting the team. Ten years of grievances were aired.

Interestingly, no one raised their voice in the team’s defense. Nay-sayers claimed the day, at least until this weekend’s chance for redemption.

A culture of complaint

Nothing written above should surprise the reader. We live in a society dominated increasingly by the activities of large organizations, economic and governmental. As individuals, we feel there is little we can do about their behaviors. Similarly, we consume media reports of events that swirl around us. Those events seem both distant (perhaps a school shooting in a faraway state) and intimate (with videos broadcast into our homes). We mourn the victims but see few policy changes to make the dangers stop.

Even day-to-day interactions acquire this quality of impersonality and lack of control. A stranger, driving wildly, cuts in front of us. A company we depend on unexpectedly suspends its services. A........

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