The phrase "going postal" stems from a series of tragic events in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s, where employees of the United States Postal Service engaged in violent outbursts.
The Origin of "Going Postal"
This colloquial expression is used to describe someone who becomes uncontrollably angry, often to the point of violence, or "going berserk." Its widespread use reflects a dark period in American workplace history.
A Troubling History
The genesis of "going postal" lies in actual incidents that occurred predominantly across the 1980s and 1990s. These were not isolated occurrences but a pattern of events where workers within the postal service committed acts of extreme violence.
Key characteristics of these incidents include:
- Perpetrated by United States Postal Service (USPS) employees.
- Involved individuals "running amok" and shooting guns randomly at fellow employees.
- Resulted in a significant loss of life, with well over 40 people killed across various incidents.
- Occurred over two decades: the 1980s and 1990s.
The repeated nature of these highly publicized acts led to the coining of the term, which quickly entered popular lexicon to describe sudden, extreme rage, particularly in a workplace context.
