Columnists
All the rage
There’s a new form of entertainment out there in which people pay for the privilege of destroying things. From Houston, Dallas, San Diego, Jacksonville, New York, Toronto and Niagara Falls to England, Hungary, Serbia, Russia and Australia, there are accounts of people setting up shop with the express purpose of giving folks a chance to wield a heavy object (a crowbar, a baseball bat, a tire iron) in order to smash something (crockery, glassware, office equipment or a Donald Trump mannequin: one operator said he had gone through three Donald dummies already, each smashed to smithereens.
Toronto’s Rage Room, for example, charges $19.99 for a 45-minute session that offers one person the opportunity to smash five small items. The ‘date night’ package for two people at $69.99 offers a combination of 12 small, medium and large items, as well as two medium-sized electronic items. You get to choose your own musical soundtrack and download the video of your session. It’s open till 11p.m. seven days a week.
At first blush, the idea seems a little frivolous. But why not? At $69.99, it’s about the same price as a night out for two watching an action movie with a couple of soft drinks and a small popcorn. And just think of the potential for pleasure it might offer. Imagine your evil boss as an old, broken ceramic cookie jar, and let your inner destroyer take over your outer restrained self. Just be hopeful that word doesn’t leak that you’ve bashed her in effigy.
Proponents of recreational destruction like to point out that there are really very few socially acceptable ways in which to express anger—and that it is better to offer a safe outlet to allow people to do so rather than have them stew over perceived injustices and plan hideous ways to reap their revenge, even if revenge is best served cold. They say that the old folklore about ‘letting the anger in your system boil over’ rather than ‘bottling it up inside’ has been verified by studies that show boil-overers generally lead happier lives than bottle-uppers. And if piñatabashing doesn’t do enough to calm the Furies, then why not try bashing up a room full of stuff that’s destined for the junk heap anyway?
like to point out that there are really very few socially acceptable ways in which to express anger—and that it is better to offer a safe outlet to allow people to do so rather than have them stew over perceived injustices and plan hideous ways to reap their revenge, even if revenge is best served cold. They say that the old folklore about ‘letting the anger in your system boil over’ rather than ‘bottling it up inside’ has been verified by studies that show boil-overers generally lead happier lives than bottle-uppers. And if piñatabashing doesn’t do enough to calm the Furies, then why not try bashing up a room full of stuff that’s destined for the junk heap anyway?
One psychologist likens destruction therapy to binge drinking: in the short term it might make you feel good, but it won’t the next morning. Another study has found that giving physical vent to your anger only leaves you more angry after the dust settles. Better, it concluded, to exercise, relax, think of something funny or engage in deep breathing or meditation to calm yourself down. If that’s true, then perhaps our local churches could reposition themselves as meditation, calming and relaxation rooms. Perhaps it would be a tall order for them to label themselves as comedy rooms—which may suggest an opening for a private operator. After all, to find some humour to overcome the anger you feel when you open your water or hydro bill, you will have to do better than recalling your favourite knock-knock joke.
As to destruction rooms, I say live and let live. Why require them to be on the cutting edge of anger management theory? Let’s leave them alone and let people who simply want to bash up some junk have some fun. Besides, anyone who has been stuck with the Internet down and who has waited on hold for an hour for the privilege of dealing with a technician in Bangalore, only to be told that everything is working as it should and you must have a software problem, will tell you that bashing some junk seems like an entirely appropriate response. Just don’t bash up your rotary dial phone, though: it’s vintage, and worth something. Use an old toaster oven instead.
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