In which I learn a new term and offer an unpopular opinion
And what is this term? Rage baiting. I read it for the first time yesterday and have suddenly seen it in numerous places. The concept is pretty obvious. An entity does something to elicit feelings of rage in someone. The more simplistic definition is something done on purpose to enrage another. These are not quite equivalent definitions as you will see. The place I came across the term yesterday was a parenting video with the parent claiming their children were rage baiting them. It rubbed me the wrong way then, and continues to do so as I have mulled it over since. Here's the unpopular opinion: We adults are responsible for our actions. A child can't actually make you do something, such a become enraged. This is also the abuser's line, as in, "You made me do it." It's a cop out. Calling a child (and I include young teens in that, too) a rage baiter tells me a couple of things about the adult using that term. It says they are unaware of their own emotional s...
