Türkiye's 'Rage House' encourages visitors to smash things up

A newly opened 'Rage House' has piqued the interest of local residents in Türkiye's southeastern province of Diyarbakir, according to the owner who is looking to help reduce violent acts in the city. 

Hamza Durmaz, the owner of the establishment which opened less than two weeks ago, said he used to have anger issues himself and was prompted to open the 'Rage House' after seeing that freely smashing objects allowed him to release pent-up anger in a relatively harmless way.

"Diyarbakır is a city with a bit of an anger problem," he said. "In fact, we're at an extreme level when it comes to anger." 

Durmaz got the 'rage house' idea from similar institutions in the United States.

"These kinds of things are common in America," he said. When I came across a couple of videos about it, I thought, why not in Diyarbakır? At least, maybe we can prevent it (violence), even if only a little."

Durmaz hopes his unusual angle on anger management might keep people out of jail – and says it certainly worked for him. 

"Instead of spending a lifetime in prison, going through the gates and corridors of a prison, all that anger is released here in an hour," he said. "I myself used to have some anger issues. So I tried it on myself first. I thought, 'This will work.' And I really felt relieved."

'It's a pleasant place'

Omur Yoldas, who visited the Rage House with two other friends, said his session of smashing items made him feel happier. 

"The reason I came here is because of work-related, school and family problems," he said. "All of them combined to create a lot of stress inside me. That's why I came here. I saw this place on social media and other platforms. 

"It's a nice, pleasant place. I actually liked it. Coming here and breaking things, damaging unused items made me even happier. Right now, instead of any stress, it's like butterflies are fluttering inside me. It's like I've been reborn."

Psychological counsellor Hayriye Mujde Ercetin said anger is sometimes expressed violently among locals in Diyarbakir, adding that the reasons could include economic, social and political issues.

"Our city is a place where violence is associated with, or where anger is expressed through exposure to, violence," she explained. "Culturally, people either suppress their anger more or the power dynamics are constantly shifting.

"For example, within family structures with harsh, authoritarian parents – children were subjected to this. Later, when these children grow up, we can see them becoming even harsher, doing the same thing to the next generation."

Associating anger with aggression

Ercetin says the violence is part of a deeper malaise, as well as being a menace in itself.

"Economic problems, social problems, and political problems can also contribute to the increasing feelings of anger and tendencies towards violence in the city," she said. "We cannot ignore femicides and social realities in this context."

Ercetin cautioned that while rage houses may be helpful in relieving stress in the short term, they may also prove detrimental in the long term. 

"In a city where violence is prevalent, and where violence is often viewed as a source of power, seeing and constantly associating 'rage houses' with emotional release can lead us to constantly associate anger with aggression," she said.

"Looking at it in the long run, it might not be very productive. In the short term, it might be seen as a more fun, social environment for the people, especially the couples using them. But in the long term, it carries the risk that this tendency towards violence, starting with entertainment, could later find a more pronounced counterpart in real life."