‘Outrage’

Every story I read in the paper, somebody’s “outraged” about something or other. Doesn’t anybody ever just get upset anymore? Annoyed? Irate? Miffed? Angry? Cheesed off? Irked? Riled? Chapped? Bemused? Chuffed? Disappointed? Unhappy? Saddened? Frustrated? Are there no degrees anymore to one’s disquietude? Or does everyone insist on pegging the meter with “outrage,” even when it is only a matter of a dog owner not cleaning up his dog’s droppings from a lawn?

JAMES WARREN

Los Angeles