# Apathy and Indifference::: **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 21, 2002, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apathy-and-indifference/120081 "2002-07-21T10:54:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mr.Wrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Mr.Wrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Wrong)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apathy-and-indifference/120081/41 "2002-07-27T06:36:52Z")
> [@](#): > > So you are truly of the opinion that hating people that spread hate will make the world better? Yes. > [@](#): > > Take, for example, a child molester on death row. There are people that will tell you how “moral” it is to put him to death and people that will tell you how “amoral” it is to put him to death. Neither opinion is wrong. Both sides of the argument make good points. You can pick the side you like best, but to say that one side is better than the other is to assume that you know best. No, it’s called “having an opinion on the matter.” > [@](#): > > I think every person’s opinion is valid, but I do have opinions of my own as well. That’s impossible. > [@](#): > > If the debate ends in a disagreement however, I do not just declare that the other person is wrong and I am right. Without being omnipotent, I cannot possibly know whose opinion is the wiser. I favor my own because it is the wiser choice for my own life. But I am only one man and the other opinion may be the wiser choice for the other person’s life. Besides, no opinion can be wrong. Facts can be right or wrong, but opinions cannot. Morally and intellectually, you have no balls. If it were my my “opinion” that the world would be a better place without you in it, would that be “valid”? ---
**Author:** ![Procacious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Procacious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procacious)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apathy-and-indifference/120081/42 "2002-07-27T06:42:47Z")
> [@](#): > > If it were my my “opinion” that the world would be a better place without you in it, would that be “valid”? Of course. That is the joy of opinions. They are all valid. How boring would Great Debates be if there were simply a book we could buy with the “answer” to every moral question? One of the first few posts to every thread would always be, “The book of unending moral answers says this…” Great Debates is an interesting place precisely because everyone’s opinion is valid. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Wrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Mr.Wrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Wrong)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apathy-and-indifference/120081/43 "2002-07-27T06:52:55Z")
Sorry for the multiple postings. Something weird on my end. > [@](#): > > I simply accept the fact that if I had lived your life, I would have your opinions. The odds that I am fortunate enough to have lived the perfect life that results in all the “right” opinions is extremely tiny. Therefore, it would be narrow-minded of me to insist that I am always right. If I can debate with someone for hours on end and they still do not believe my point of view, then I have to assume that they have a compelling reason for doing so. I guess I just don’t get that. I know I’m not always right, but until I’m shown the light, I believe I am. I still don’t see how you can believe in ANYTHING though, if you don’t believe anyone is ever wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Wrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Mr.Wrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Wrong)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apathy-and-indifference/120081/44 "2002-07-27T07:00:39Z")
Special bonus: My old football coach(not one of the world’s great thinkers) used to say: > [@](#): > > Son, opinions are like assholes. Everybody’s got one ---
**Author:** ![Procacious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Procacious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procacious)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apathy-and-indifference/120081/45 "2002-07-27T07:03:08Z")
> [@](#): > > ## quote: > > ## I simply accept the fact that if I had lived your life, I would have your opinions. The odds that I am fortunate enough to have lived the perfect life that results in all the “right” opinions is extremely tiny. Therefore, it would be narrow-minded of me to insist that I am always right. If I can debate with someone for hours on end and they still do not believe my point of view, then I have to assume that they have a compelling reason for doing so. > > I guess I just don’t get that. I know I’m not always right, but until I’m shown the light, I believe I am. I still don’t see how you can believe in ANYTHING though, if you don’t believe anyone is ever wrong. The reason I am able to do that is because I do not believe in the concept of “right” and “wrong” (not when it comes to opinions anyway). An opinion, by its very nature, is not a fact and only facts can be certain. I see people from other cultures partaking in rituals that seem extremely painful and cruel, yet all involved seem to want to do it. Even though it seems very unpleasant to me, I have to assume that if I had lived their lives, I would also want it. It comes from thinking that I am only 1 of the 6 billion people on this earth and am not any better or any worse than the others. Only different. (But that doesn’t mean I do not fight adamantly to support my opinions on this forum). ---
**Author:** ![Procacious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Procacious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procacious)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apathy-and-indifference/120081/46 "2002-07-27T07:06:37Z")
> [@](#): > > ## Special bonus: My old football coach(not one of the world’s great thinkers) used to say: quote: > > ## Son, opinions are like assholes. Everybody’s got one I always liked that quote. Fortunately for me, I find analyzing people’s opinions far more enjoyable than analyzing their assholes. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apathy-and-indifference/120081.md?page=2)