Three Anger and Social Relations in ‘Peanut Rage’ Incident: Focusing on Inequality of Status-Power (2018.06)
2018.06.30
- Authors : Gye-Won Jo
- Journal : Economy and Society
- Publisher : Critical Sociological Association of Korea
- Volume : 118
- Publication Date : June, 2018
- Abstract : The purpose of this paper is to analyze the three anger in the ‘peanut rage’ incident in terms of inequality of status-power inherent in social relations. This case is an example of how emotions work in social relations in that the anger played an important role in the occurrence of incident, the disclosure of whistle-blower, and the spread of public interest. If actor of relatively high status is able to exercise their power arbitrarily to actors of relatively low status, social norms of disrespect and adaptation are created between them. While the executives of family conglomerates often reveal their control through anger, workers must adapt themselves to the executive’s emotion and endure humiliating situations. However, the anger that arises in the experience of denying the existence of oneself can lead the relative weak to an action to break the unequal emotion norms and regain their damaged dignity. The objects of anger can be a collective actors, such as company or government agency, that allow actors of relatively higher status to exercise their arbitrary power.
Collective emotion is formed as people in similar social conditions empathize with the relative weak. The anger of the masses may be a response to the impairment of the status of an equal citizen, or an imaginary revenge for those in a vulnerable position.