Analyses of a Dark Culture | A Phenomenology of Yelling and Shouting

Analyses of a Dark Culture are phenomenological descriptions of cultural practices that reveal the simple, subtle, sneaky sins that we fall into on a daily basis that work against society. 

“Stop yelling.” 

“I wasn’t.” 

“Well, what would you call it?” 

“I was shouting.” 

My six-year old son wasn’t being sassy. He actually believed it. I was curious if he could articulate the distinction. Can you actually differentiate between various blood-curdling noises coming out of your mouth? I wondered, so I engaged. Turns out, he did have a semblance of a concept. 

I want my kids to know the subtle differences in elevating voices. For the sake of life in society. Like, when it’s time for dinner, shout to your sister; if the neighbor’s finger gets chopped off, scream for help; if a bully is picking on someone, yell at him; it’s okay to wail if mommy and I ever die in a fire. 

So many adults seem ignorant of these auditory exclamations and are oftentimes unable to select the right “loud voice,” especially when in a library, watching a presidential debate, or talking on their phone in the grocery store. They seem to have no handle on their voice. I suspect their parents didn’t transmit a “loud voice” taxonomy to their children like I want to do with mine.

I want to talk about some of these distinctions. But let’s do it so philosophically it’s like we’re six-year olds. What is the difference between yelling and shouting? (Next post we’ll examine screaming and wailing) What are the features of yelling and shouting? Let’s identify them. And let’s explore the conditions of their manifestation.  

Yelling and shouting can only be done by human beings. No other creature can or does yell. Worms, bears, clouds, and even the Holy Spirit (not a creature), for example, don’t yell. Some of these creatures could take a “loud voice,” but that’s not yelling. Yelling is a capacity and capability exclusively tied to human nature and human beings. 

With respect to what or who is eliciting the “loud voice,” yelling and shouting differ. 

Yelling is always directed at a thing or because of something. The parent yells at her kid. The teenager yells at the dog. Grandpa yells at the NFL player on the T.V. It is possible that someone could yell at an intimate object, such as a rock they tripped over, but most likely, that would manifest in a “shouting-at,” not necessarily yelling. 

Shouting is different. Shouting doesn’t have to be directed at something. I could be, but not necessarily. For example, the Project Manager who had a lousy day shouts out his frustration into the ether above. Or the toddler shouts in church. Shouting can be done in a variety of forms—like shout-singing or shout-blabbering. But yelling is yelling. 

What’s around, and its importance, also differs for yelling and shouting. 

Because the yelling is directed at something, the environment or world that surrounds the yelling doesn’t matter that much to the yeller. All that really matters is that what is being yelled at is hearing or “receiving” the yell. The yeller doesn’t yell because of its surroundings or their arrangement. They are indifferent and insignificant. 

For the shouter, things are different. The environment matters significantly for the shouter. The shouter shouts because surrounding factors necessitate shouting. “It’s loud in here,” so we have to shout. We shout because our elderly grandmother is “hard of hearing.” The toddler shouts in the sanctuary because of the echo. The shouter shouts so that whatever he is shouting at hears him over the other noise. 

The emotional impetus for yelling and shouting differs, too. 

Yelling is rooted in anger. The anger the yeller feels could be prompted by another emotion (e.g. sorrow or disgust), but anger is the direct cause of yelling. Related, one could yell with signs of other emotions (e.g. crying  from sorrow or cringing from disgust), but one’s yelling would still be prompted by and rooted in anger.

Shouting isn’t tied to emotion or any particular emotion. The shouter can shout joyfully to a friend across the room. Or she can shout sorrowfully as she conveys the bad news to her parents on the phone. Or she can just shout banally to her neighbor as construction workers are drilling outside her apartment. The shout isn’t emotional, but environmental.

The end-game of yelling and shouting is pretty similar. 

The purpose of yelling is to inform and influence. It’s to change things. It may be that the yelling is meant to inform the other that the yeller is angry. But that would not be the fulfillment of yelling. The yeller wants the yell to elicit an apology or a modification of behavior or to change the conditions in the future. The yeller yells to fix things.

Something has to give with shouting, too. But because shouting is not tied to emotion, what’s being given through shouting isn’t calling for a change in personal relating. It’s more likely tied to an objective. “Make sure sis hears you that it’s time for dinner.” The shouter shouts to communicate something, not necessarily to fix an interpersonal issue.

When it comes to yelling, particularly at strangers, enemies, or anyone out in public, it isn’t advantageous or appropriate. Refrain. Yelling indicates anger, and if unleashed, results in counter-anger, aggression, and possibly violence. Yelling leads to yelling, and that’s not going to get you where you want to go. Unless it’s a fight.

Shouting might be called for in various situations out in public. But you have to be careful that the nature of the subject being discussed or the mannerisms of your body don’t lead your interlocutor to question whether your shouting is actually yelling. Take your cues from the environment. And your neighbor. And your conscience.