The 21st Century Practice of “Ranting”
A psychological explanation of an archaic phenomena
There are many historical mysteries we may never solve. One of the most puzzling is the purpose of the early 21st century hominid behaviour known as “Ranting”.
Unfortunately, as with most ancient history, very few records from the time period survive. Most were destroyed in the climate cataclysm of 2047CE, so any conclusions we draw are necessarily tentative.
What is a Rant?
According to surviving dictionaries, a rant was “bombastic extravagant speech”, either verbal or written. There is a subtle distinction between a rant and a tirade. Although the person performing the rant seems angry and upset, apparently they were actually having a “rousing good time”.
The rant was a type of soliloquy. It takes the form of an angry outburst expressing frustration with social conditions of the time. While some topics covered in rants were important issues, the vast majority were concerned with trivial events in the subject’s life.
What is most puzzling about the rant is it rarely contained solutions to the problems it bombastically complained about. Apparently, a characteristic feature of the rant genre was no solution was needed or expected.
