Much madness is uncomfortable for everyone.

I despise the incompetence of students to follow simple instructions; their poor grammar offends me.

I would also rail also against modernity, which requires me to crave independence and love in equal measures. A recent article argues that Isaiah Berlin disproved the fallacy rooted in the Western philosophical tradition that the “good” political virtues were compatible. Equality, liberty, justice: we have a sense that they can and should exist alongside each other. (Tocqueville blew up the American tendency to characterize the nation as equal parts equality and liberty. Certainly, “freedom” gets more talk-time these days). There is a similar tendency, I think, to uphold the “good” emotions as mutually supportive. But happiness, peace of mind, joy, satisfaction, hope, and self-respect do not easily co-exist. I am angry about the politics (http://www.slate.com/id/2146691/entry/2146692/?nav=tap3, I am angry about the personal. If I think about trying to combine the two, like SNL Al Sharpton sketch, I can only make up words and faces.