I groan every time I see an opinion poll. Then I yell loudly, “What the hell does that have to do with anything!!!”. Unless of course it’s a poll on politicians…and then it says who’s getting elected.
If someone is not entitled to their opinion…do we take it away? No, they’re still gonna have it. And if it turns out to be a really bad opinion, they price they pay will be the consequences of their ill-conceived actions.
What I’m saying is, whether or not Joe Average’s opinions are valid, he’s still gonna have them. If Joe wants to stand on top of the hill and wait for aliens, should we knock him on the head with a 2x4 and drag him back to his hovel? Why bother?
That’s my opinion…and you can’t take it away, dammi!
One became great by expecting the possible, another by expecting the eternal, but he who expected the impossible became greater than all. -Kierkegaard
Everyone has a right to an opinion, but they don’t have the right to force other people to take it seriously, or even to listen to it.
Now here’s MY pet peeve - celebrities who have their opinions taken seriously, even to the point where they can testify to Congress and lobby for politicians and actually affect the outcome of an election.
Your typical hollywood celeb is the LAST person who’s opinion should be elevated over other’s. These people often have little or no education (if they do have degrees, it’s often in Drama or from an Actor’s studio), they are pampered and have no conception of what life is like for the average person, and they often have huge egos which prevent them from listening to real experts or public opinion. Yet if Barbara Streisand speaks on environmental policy, everyone listens to her. Alec Baldwin gets an audience with Congress on demand. It’s ridiculous.
I’m ‘entitled’ to it, I suppose. But, that particular entitlement doesn’t mean that anyone ** has to listen **, or take whatever my opinion is about a certain topic, as * fact *.
Judy
“Muck should replace ‘suck’. For ‘muck’ is yucky, while ‘suck’ feels very lucky. So, don’t stay stuck on suck, switch to MUCK, today.”
yeah but i always go by this saying- “yeah, i support freedom of speech, but i dont wanna hear your nasty comments”- so, if you dont wanna hear it then just block it out and move on, there are many more important things in the world!! :rolleyes:
~kelly~
Even so, few are expert enough even in their own narrow rubrick to be qualified as expert witnesses in a court of law, where their opinion would be valid testimony.
Anyone who uses the word “RUBRICK” is suspect.
[QUOTE]
Originally posted by aschrott:
**I tend to agree.
Ignorant opinions don’t bother me so much as the attention that inevitably gets paid to them. It seems that you can always find some ignorant puss spewing forth on the television simply because he holds a strong opinion on something. The fact that his opinion might be unsupportable or ludicrous never seems to diminish the air time devoted to his tirade.
FWIW, though, I think the expression, “everyone’s entitled to his opinion” is worth having. Although it’s a cliche, it embodies the first amendment. A country full of ignorant opinions is better than one in which intelligent ones are swept under the rug and suppressed.
The First Amendment is the only reason we are allowed to spill out our pathetic opinions in this sub-human medium.
[QUOTE]
Originally posted by Manda JO:
**It is not the having or even the expressing of opinions that I object to; it is people who think that a person’s “opinon” is sacrosanct. I’ve had many a conversation like this:
Other: A is B
Me: No, it is not, because of p, q, and r, as described in publications x and z.
Other: Well, we each have our opinions. You’ve got no right to question mine.
Postmodernist philosphy sorta kinda holds that since truth is non-exitant or unachieveable, all versions of it are equally valid, or rather equally invalid. Therefore, any given opinion is equally valid (invalid). To assert one’s own views, however well founded, then gains a taint of bigotry–who are you to impose your views on anyone? A sort of twisted reflection of this philosophy has seeped down from the ivory towers into our education system, and now many people, who are ownly dimly aware of the theroy behind it, use a pop psych version to justify not defending their opinions.
I think it is all hogwash. Opinions do vary in quality, and there is a real difference between a supported and an unsupported opinion. Sure, people have the right to an opinion–and everyone else has the right to say it is wrong.
much in agreement, but with that Ivory Tower, righteous opinions are formed as readily as heinious ones…Which is to say the only part lacking in the modern mind is a discriminating taste between what is truthful (or at least plausible) and what is pleasant to hear.
Although as evidenced on “Who Wants To Be A Millionare?”, most people know a lot about insignificant pop culture, but little about literature or science. 
Esprix
Ask the Gay Guy! (or, if you prefer the Jesusfied version, Asketh the damn Priest Guy!)
opinions are just that - opinions.
…and they should be treated as such (grain of salt idea). And that’s my opinion.
Sorry to interrupt. Looking for the great debates section. Can anybody direct me there?
All things considered, aren’t opinions the source of intelligent debate and do they not force us to re-evaluate our views at times (only if you’re a true thinking person) thus making us more “well-rounded” individuals?
May The Great Spirit Bless You
May The Wind Always Be At Your Back