Anger

I don't think, for the most part, that people can control what makes them feel angry. You don't really decide if something is going to make you mad or not, it's just a natural human reaction, like fear or pride or guilt. But people should definitely be able to control how they express that anger, even if they can't control when or why they feel it. There are tons of times that I've been upset with people--friends, parents, siblings, whoever--but how you deal with it can drastically change a situation. It's a lesson that everyone has to go through at some point or another, but you usually run into sooner rather than later. Most kids learn quickly that letting their anger explode usually yields unfavorable results. So it's especially embarrassing for the people involved in the health care debate, people who I assume would like to be viewed as intelligent adults with legitimate opinions. They end up showing themselves in a light that screams the direct opposite. Letting anger and hurtful words interfere in what is supposed to be a productive, mature debate makes everyone involved look instead like an ignorant child who hasn't yet learned that whining and crying stops being effective when you hit age 2. Anger only has adverse effects when you choose to handle it poorly.