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German Company Offers a Swearing Hotline

Two German entrepreneurs have found a creative way to help passive-aggressive people deal with their anger. For the small fee of 1.49 euros per minute ($2), callers can vent their frustration to a paid operator. The swearing hotline, known as "Schimpf-los" (German for "swear away"), is available seven days a week. Callers can jeer, taunt, and curse at the paid operators. But don't expect the operators to put up with uncreative, milquetoast swearing. At times they'll provoke lackluster callers with rude comments like, "That's the third time I've heard that today. Is that the best you've got?"

Ralf Schulte, one of the creators of Schimpf-los, says, "We don't judge people who are angry." Schulte contends that his service is doing people a favor. "If you're stressed at work," he argues, "you go home and your partner gets an earful. Even though it's not her fault." Instead, Schulte says, "[Anger] happens. It's natural. With us you can blow off steam no strings attached …. For getting everything off your chest, [our service] is a bargain."

Preaching Angles: Anger, Resentment—This service promises to help us eliminate or at least reduce our anger and resentment. But does it really work? Does voicing our anger to the wrong person decrease anger or divert it into some other harmful attitude or even increase our rage? Fortunately, God provides a healthier, more constructive way to deal with anger.

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