Blog Assignment #3 - Emotion and Responsibility

I believe that we have conscious control and thus hold responsibility for all of our emotions. In accordance with Robert Solomon’s argument in “Emotion Happen to Us,” emotions are the true to our own feelings and are created by our own thoughts.

Not too long ago, Jim Webb was elected as the Democratic Senator from Virginia. His unexpected victory can be attributed to an outburst of emotion from his Republican opponent George Allen. Shortly after his introduction that he was going to run a positive campaign, Allen refers to an Indian boy, “over here with the yellow shirt, macaca, or whatever his name is. He’s with my opponent. He’s following us around everywhere.” Allen used this racial slur to degrade the boy working for Webb and imply that he was black. While Allen shortly apologized for his “accidental remark” and claimed that he did not even know meaning of the word that came out of his mouth, the American people did not buy it—and justifiably so. Not only was the racial slur caught on public television, but it also can from a beloved man who was running for reelection. As Solomon wrote, “most significant emotions are not single episodes, much less ‘bursts’ of affect. They are processes over time.” I think this quote flawlessly describes what happened on the day that Allen will have nightmares of for the rest of his life. His usage of this powerful word, which marked his downfall, was certainly no mere coincidence. This reflected the character of Allen; whether or not it was the way he wanted to be perceived. This “random outburst,” as Allen would later claim, was most probably built upon a foundation of racism that is deeply ingrained in his thoughts. Sure there was hatred in him towards the tracker of his campaign and for Jim Webb, but the highly improper emotional response from Allen cost him his reelection as Senator and possibly his future Presidency. As such, Allen now has to take responsibility for it and assume costs. Thanks to Allen the whole nation knows what macaca means and the racist that he is (although I must admit I felt really badly for him.)

In my personal life, my emotions also act as a way of knowing. I can vividly recall the last time I was in Beijing, China, in the summer of 2005. As with almost every summer before it, my mom, sister, and I would rent an apartment near my aunt, uncle, and cousin for the duration of our vacation. Always very attached to my aunt and uncle in China, we experienced the great times at many tourism sites, shopping malls, and, of course, restaurants. However, as always, near the end of August, we would return to the United States. The thought of leaving, starting on the day that I arrived in Beijing, would rage in my mind as I began the count down to the last day of my stay. While some people would just denounce this as childish worrying or an inability to enjoy the goods times, it’s something much more. I would continue to have fun but my emotions of sadness would build up day by day. On the long ride to the airport, I would feel the emotion of sadness burst out. While this emotion has always seemed to like an uncontrollable instance, I now realize that it is in fact a build up of not a single episode but built on the years of love and many great experiences layered together. The nostalgia was worked up in my mind as I thought that of the fact that I won’t be able to see my aunt and uncle for at least one more year. These thoughts were consciously created by my own mind, generating my powerful emotional response.

Emotions are not just random bursts of passion, but they are chosen by our own mood and conscious mind. For this reason, we should always be true to our own feelings and assume the responsibility for our emotions.