Anger management

By DAVID GREEN

After reading the headline, many of you probably imagined this was going to be about Tony Stewart, or perhaps Carl Edwards, and some of the on- and off-track antics that have punctuated recent racing events. Come on, admit it; you did, didn't you?

But, no -- this is not about that. Instead, let's talk about all the ways in which our culture promotes the expression of anger, and then prescribes treatment for the malady. We'll focus our discussion on the effect of the mass media on these things.

We'll quickly dispense with the print media, as access to newspapers and magazines is so limited nowadays in comparison to electronic forms. In old times and in new, the bully pulpits of the print media are occupied only by the few, the proud, the (usually) arrogant. Letters to the editor never get Page 1 display or 72-point headlines.

Let's start with the Internet and blogs such as this one. For every good, thought-provoking, respectful debate, there are probably a dozen or more spewings of hatred, laced with the worst kind of profanity and vulgarity.

But still, widespread as it has become, the Internet stills serves a smaller audience than television, so let's skip ahead to TV.

Many of the TV characters we watch are just as proud and (usually) arrogant as their ink-stained counterparts, and they have an even tighter grip on the limited number of venues. That's why they are pop-culture "stars" of varying magnitudes; compared to the great unwashed masses that make up their audiences, there are so precious few of them.

Accessibility to their world is available in very limited quantities. For race fans, the best example of this is the call-in program. The one with the widest spectrum and, most likely, the largest audience is Speed's "Wind Tunnel with Dave DeSpain."

DeSpain seems to be a polarizing character whom most fans love or loath. I find his commentary almost always reasoned and fair, even on the handful of occasions when my opinion happens to differ with his. He usually treats callers with, I think, an appropriate level of respect relative to their own attitudes. It's easy to make fun of hillbillies (just look at the success of Jeff Foxworthy and the Blue Collar Comedy franchise), ands sometimes the erudite Dave cannot resist a little condescending fun at some caller's expense.

One thing that does come through in DeSpain's show is his passion for motor sports and his knowledge of it. It is quite easy for passion to move up a notch into -- you guessed it -- anger. The producers of "Wind Tunnel" are not only aware of this; they are exploiting it via their "Fired Up!" segment of the show.

"We're looking for angry fans," proclaims the Speed Web site. "What did you see this weekend that has you fuming? Whatever it is, we want to hear about it!"

Just call "Fired Up," and rant away, angry fan!

Then there's the new replacement program for the old "Speed News." "The Speed Report" gives us more flash and dash, a whiz-bang set reminiscent of ESPN's iconic SportsCenter. Gone are the likes of Bob Varsha, Connie LeGrand, Ralph Sheheen and others; instead, we have the young and hip Drew and Nicole.

And, lo and behold, there's a segment titled "The Angry Minute." It's not a venue for fans to spout, but rather something that's more likely to incite them. It features things such as the near-violent encounter between Danny Lasoski and his father in the pits at the Knoxville Nationals after an on-track tangle between Lasoski and his nephew, Brian Brown. Brown was driving a car prepared by George Lasoski, Danny's father and Brian's grandfather.

A therapist probably helped write the disclaimers. "Before you shoot the TV or kick the dog...give us a call at 1-866-WTUNNEL and vent with a vengeance," reads the Web promotion for "Fired Up!"

But is there any merit to that notion? Does venting into your telephone for "Fired Up" or watching a Lasoski family feud or the latest Paul Tracy fisticuffs on "The Angry Minute" really make anyone less angry? Or, perhaps, does it merely stir the pot a little more?

Something tells me the producers of such programming don't lose any sleep worrying about such distinctions. As long as those numbers stay up there, baby...