I am somewhat mystified after reading the circumstances leading up to and after the arrest, charging and now court case involving former CITN/Cayman 27 Reporter and former aide to Premier Alden McLaughlin, Kenneth Bryan.

Initially it would appear from the reports that Bryan was the Knight Errant coming to the aid of a maiden in distress. The villain was said by the damsel to be assaulting her, something that was alleged to have happened before.

Bryan was said to have stopped the assault on the damsel but then members of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service arrived.

It all gets a bit murky then with seemingly another person involved in a fight with the villain.

For some unknown reason not explained to date is why the fight broke out and who this third man was. Bryan, however is alleged to have tried to stop the police arresting one of the two men fighting.

Bryan got very angry with the police officers and was alleged to have sworn at them seemingly more than once.

The police warned Bryan but he was now so angry he apparently didn’t listen and one of the four officers arrested Bryan accusing him of assault. Bryan said they had been trying to arrest the wrong man and weren’t listening to him.

As it turned out Bryan was the only person arrested. The seeming villain promptly left the scene and has never been charged even though the victim, herself a police officer, said the villain was assaulting her and Bryan had done the right thing.

I cannot comment on the case and give an opinion because it is ongoing. I will leave that until later. Remember, however, what appears to be the facts.  Four police officers arrive. A woman has been assaulted. Two men have a fight. Bryan stops the assault on the woman. Bryan tries to stop the police from arresting the wrong man.  Bryan is very, very angry and won’t obey a police order. Bryan is the only person arrested and charged. Despite there being four police officers present the man who assaulted the woman is allowed to leave the scene. I believe I am correct on all of this.

I will now concentrate the rest of my Editorial on anger and how not enough allowance is given when we lose complete control because of anger.

I can certainly sympathise with Bryan having lost my temper on a number of occasions especially when I know I am in the right and a third party refuses to believe me. Or they refuse even to listen to my explanation.

Anger, I strongly feel is a legitimate defence, especially when we lose control.

In an article published by the American Psychological Association it states:

“We all know what anger is, and we’ve all felt it: whether as a fleeting annoyance or as full-fledged rage.

“Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life. And it can make you feel as though you’re at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion. This brochure is meant to help you understand and control anger.

“Anger is “an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage,” according to Charles Spielberger, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in the study of anger. Like other emotions, it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when you get angry, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of your energy hormones, adrenaline, and noradrenaline.

“Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be angry at a specific person (Such as a coworker or supervisor) or event (a traffic jam, a canceled flight), or your anger could be caused by worrying or brooding about your personal problems. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry feelings.

Expressing Anger

“The instinctive, natural way to express anger is to respond aggressively. Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival.

“On the other hand, we can’t physically lash out at every person or object that irritates or annoys us; laws, social norms, and common sense place limits on how far our anger can take us.”

Obviously, according to the four police officers who witnessed the scene, Bryan went beyond the limits allowed by them for his anger.

However, the interesting point is “A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ANGER, THEREFORE, IS NECESSARY TO OUR SURVIVAL”.

The article continues:

According to Jerry Deffenbacher, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in anger management, some people really are more “hotheaded” than others are; they get angry more easily and more intensely than the average person does. There are also those who don’t show their anger in loud spectacular ways but are chronically irritable and grumpy. Easily angered people don’t always curse and throw things; sometimes they withdraw socially, sulk, or get physically ill.

People who are easily angered generally have what some psychologists call a low tolerance for frustration, meaning simply that they feel that they should not have to be subjected to frustration, inconvenience, or annoyance. They can’t take things in stride, and they’re particularly infuriated if the situation seems somehow unjust: for example, being corrected for a minor mistake.

What makes these people this way? A number of things. One cause may be genetic or physiological: There is evidence that some children are born irritable, touchy, and easily angered, and that these signs are present from a very early age. Another may be sociocultural. Anger is often regarded as negative; we’re taught that it’s all right to express anxiety, depression, or other emotions but not to express anger. As a result, we don’t learn how to handle it or channel it constructively.”

To read the whole article go to: http://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control.aspx

I am pleased I was not there on that October night last year outside the “Dream Nightclub”. I, too, may have been “out of control” at what I perceived as an injustice being done.

Especially if I was also the Knight Errant.