I paid close attention when an old friend jokingly asked on Twitter: “Can anyone tell me why I’m so Angry all the time?” But it’s not so funny that rage is the new normal.
We’ve gotten louder and more contentious as we’ve suddenly been catapulted into a new Middle Ages with a politics and economics that mirror medieval lords and serfs with castles, indebted servants and a dying middle class. Each age group is struggling in its own way. There are super-angry people in every generation. Tweets that aren’t crude and rude are often cries for help, for someone to listen, respond and care. Both sides of the COVID coin are expressed online: anger and despair.
Many of the despairing are young; I’ve written previous columns about their skyrocketing suicide rates. But many of them are elderly and their desperation makes them more vulnerable than ever.
COVID has fueled a raging black market: scammers, fraudsters and con artists. Charlatans surface in tough economic times with a vengeance. It’s true that scams like “Free Solar Panels” target homeowners of all ages, but many fraudsters are focusing their stimulus check scams and community donation scams on senior citizens. Playing on understandable fears, fraudsters offer opportunities to skip the line and get quicker access for outlandish fees.
We’ve just completed National Consumer Protection Week, and Acting U.S. Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon for the Northern District of New York said: “Fraudsters are making a fortune by targeting Americans, particularly older Americans. … The scammers tell elaborate lies, often become demanding and threatening, and take advantage of the physical isolation that many seniors have experienced during the pandemic.”