# What are your most unpopular opinions? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2013, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645 "2013-04-14T00:24:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 29
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/561 "2013-06-21T18:17:54Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > One demographic that I do not believe should have aggressive medical treatment is people who blow themselves up in meth lab explosions. Some hospitals have had to close their burn units because the entire hospital was in danger of bankruptcy just because of all the uninsured meth makers who came in this way, and medical ethicists are indeed having discussions about whether people who do this should be treated. Give them comfort care, and if they recover, oh, well, shit happens. yeah, this never happened. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/562 "2013-06-21T18:31:20Z")
> [@colander](#): > > yeah, this never happened. Wanna bet? [http://news.yahoo.com/ap-impact-meth-fills-hospitals-burn-patients-081130895.html](http://news.yahoo.com/ap-impact-meth-fills-hospitals-burn-patients-081130895.html) The NatGeo channel has a program about meth where they visit the burn unit at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Tennessee, which is mentioned in that story, and a doctor said that this hospital gives away $300 million in charity care every year just to this population. :eek: :smack: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/563 "2013-06-23T03:11:53Z")
Earlier in this thread, I stated that I believe that many, if not most, of those incidents of babies being left to die in a hot car are not accidents. There’s a story out of O’Fallon, Illinois that probably WAS murder. The mother came home from work to find her 23-month-old son dead in his carseat, in the driveway. His father was passed out drunk in the house. :eek: He’s been charged with involuntary manslaughter, but I bet it gets upgraded in time to first degree murder. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/564 "2013-06-23T14:42:49Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Because like anyone else, I am made uncomfortable even with the idea of aborting an eight month fetus. And I am 100% for abortion. > > But honestly, I always want to say - how often does this happen? Reading some stats and cites over the years, it seems to me that when the thought of abortion comes up at this late-stage it’s due to the health of the mother and baby. I have no problem with women aborting anencephalic babies for example, or other severely disabled babies. > > Most of the time that eight-month-pregnant woman wants the child and is heartbroken at the thought of having to abort. And I guess that is one of the places I draw the line. A wanted baby is more than a fetus, at least to the parents. An unwanted baby is just a fetus. > > All this shit goes political so I am uncomfortable with laws that say killing a pregnant woman is murdering two people…because I know they will be hijacked into anti-abortion laws. But when a mother wanted her baby, and she is murdered, of course that’s murdering two people. > > It all comes down to freedom of reproductive choice. The extreme pro-choice people think that we hate all babies or some shit…but really I just want women not to be tied to our pregnancies like we have been for thousands of years. I know that this is a sidetrack, but why would anyone be aborting at 8 months anyway ( unless for health reasons )? Many, many people want to adopt. Anyway, now that the morning after pill is available to anyone, abortion should hopefully become irrelevant. I hope it is free. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/565 "2013-06-23T14:46:56Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I’m going to disagree with you, because I have a friend whose daughter was born at 26 weeks (she went into labor, and they never figured out why) and she’s now 18 and leads a completely normal life. 🙂 🆒 From day one, she met all her developmental milestones right on time, adjusted for her gestational age. I realize this isn’t always the case. > > I do know of a family where the baby had to be delivered at 24 weeks due to life-threatening complications, and that poor child was brutally tortured for several long months before he finally died. Among other things, he never gained any weight except for edematous fluid. The only reason I could think of why he was kept “alive” was because the family had insurance. :rolleyes: And conversely, I can think of another family whose daughter was born at that age under similar circumstances, and she too is normal and actually graduated from high school last year as salutatorian of her class. > > There is a set of sextuplets who were born about 10 years ago over a period of about 2 weeks (all of them naturally) between 23 and 25 weeks’ gestation, and all six children are disabled, three of them severely. I know they love those kids, but what an awful thing to deal with. And they’ll never be the subject of a reality show, KWIM? > > One demographic that I do not believe should have aggressive medical treatment is people who blow themselves up in meth lab explosions. Some hospitals have had to close their burn units because the entire hospital was in danger of bankruptcy just because of all the uninsured meth makers who came in this way, and medical ethicists are indeed having discussions about whether people who do this should be treated. Give them comfort care, and if they recover, oh, well, shit happens. Lets add people that smoke, obese people, people that ride bikes without helmets ( head injuries ), etc etc to that list. Where does it stop? ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/566 "2013-06-23T14:50:39Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > The only reason I could think of why he was kept “alive” was because the family had insurance. I worked in a NICU, we dealt with babies as young as 24 weeks. It’s often a bad outcome, but there can be good outcomes as well, I saw it happen. But insurance was never, ever, a factor. Always, the decision to extend care or withdraw it was ultimately up to the family. Doctors would present the likely outcomes, and then we would follow the wishes of the family. Sometimes, families made the wrong choice, in the eyes of the staff. There are worse things than dying. But we always followed their wishes the best we could, providing care in hopeless cases. (Insurance can come into play in regards to options for the family after the baby is discharged from intensive care. But that’s after they live long enough to be discharged from the unit.) ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/567 "2013-06-23T15:08:18Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > Anyway, now that the morning after pill is available to anyone, abortion should hopefully become irrelevant. You can’t be serious. ---
**Author:** ![Independence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e274bd/32.png) [@Independence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Independence)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/568 "2013-06-23T21:44:52Z")
Abortion should be legal through all 9 months. This isn’t a troll, I really believe that. ---
**Author:** ![Independence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e274bd/32.png) [@Independence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Independence)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/569 "2013-06-23T22:03:22Z")
There are about 1M too many laws. Americans should be able to opt out of SS and welfare programs… In exchange for not having to pay into them, I’ll sign something revoking my right to ever draw from them. I believe in a consumption tax (in lieu of all other taxes) that produces an annual dollar amount. Our government should be small enough to LIVE off that dollar amount - whatever it is - and should not attempt to raise MORE dollars to fund a bigger gov. I believe law enforcement/cops now function solely as income generators. I should be able to have as many guns as I like, of any kind, and have to register nothing. I believe property taxes are contrary to an ownership society. If the gov can take it away from you for not paying taxes on it, then you do not own it. You are a glorified renter with some rights. I despise HOAs. I know that buzzed driving is not drunk driving. I wish MADD would go away. They are out of control. ---
**Author:** ![Independence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e274bd/32.png) [@Independence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Independence)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/570 "2013-06-23T22:11:19Z")
Oh, I also think people should home school their children or STFU. You get what you pay for… a public education costs $10K per kid, per year. To cover expense, corners are cut and so forth… Your kids are taught the public education system’s view on origins, morality, life, society, and decency… FOR EIGHT HOURS A DAY. If you do not like that, home school. Personally, I would never cast my prodigy off to the bowels of the public school system to be treated like chattle… Our most prized possession? The future? If your kids are THAT important (I doubt they are) then put some effort into what you do with them FOR EIGHT HOURS A DAY??? I’ve done the math. 10 families would have to pay $416/month to get an accredited teacher for $50K/year to privately home school their children… ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/571 "2013-06-24T03:33:11Z")
From a thread in GD: > [@Aborting the children of male rape victims](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborting-the-children-of-male-rape-victims/661755/5): > > My likely unpopular opinion is that while people have rights, these rights can be categorically rescinded in the case when somebody breaks the social contract, and it often makes sense that the way those rights are rescinded is related to the crime. Now obviously, we draw some lines, cutting off someone’s hand for theft is “related to the crime”, but I’d argue it’s a bit of a cruel punishment for theft. I believe that in the case of pregnancy due to female on male rape, the victim should have complete control over the result of the rape. That means opting for an abortion on her behalf (except in cases where it’s impossible or far too dangerous due to outstanding medical conditions), adoption, keeping the child, child support responsibility, and so on. > > I know a lot of people will disagree with the abortion clause in the above sentence on the ground that it’s “her body”, and counter with the very “cut off a hand for stealing” or even perhaps bringing up that I don’t agree with the death penalty for murder. (Though I don’t think I’ll get many vehement disagreements on the adoption/keep/etc part). Maybe I am inconsistent, I don’t know, but I really feel that despite any right to one’s own body, the potential to be required to abort on your own dime is a fair and ethical price to pay for breaching that particular law. > > ETA: This is all assuming the woman is convicted, of course. Nothing should be forced on a mere charge. ---
**Author:** ![Teddy\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Teddy\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teddy_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/572 "2013-06-24T03:55:04Z")
Libertarianism is unpopular, right? I believe in self-ownership, but I disagree with the ideas of many libertarians regarding the regulation of companies (who prefer little to no regulation). Can’t stand hardcore porn. ---
**Author:** ![Teddy\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Teddy\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teddy_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/573 "2013-06-24T04:02:56Z")
(Sorry, I can’t append my previous post) I do not consider OoT the best game ever. It’s not even in my top ten. Also, as much as many people would like to deny it, graphics absolutely \*do \*matter when calculating the quality of a game. I shouldn’t be forced to wear a seatbelt, and I wouldn’t mind beating the fuck out of the people responsible for “click it or ticket” laws in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/574 "2013-06-24T04:53:14Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > People who aren’t conflicted about abortion, which is just about everybody, are insane. I was thinking, “I’m not conflicted about abortion,” then I realized that while I am 100% in support of every woman’s right to choose, I don’t want an abortion for myself. I guess that is indeed conflicted. 🙂 > [@DigitalC](#): > > \ It is simple, another being has no right to your body even if their life depends on it. It’s not simple because being pregnant and growing another human being in your body is like no other circumstance. > [@perfectparanoia](#): > > That leads me to one of my most unpopluar opinions. Babies that are born incredibly pre-term (27 weeks or less) should not be given expensive care. They should be given a reasonable amount of care and if they make it, they make it. I’m not sure where the line should be drawn (and it might be on a case-by-case basis), but I agree with that. Some babies just don’t make it, and a pre-term baby that will only survive with massive intervention and will be almost guaranteed to have very little quality of life if they do survive is one of the unfortunates who didn’t make it. > [@aNewLeaf](#): > > I worked in a NICU, we dealt with babies as young as 24 weeks. > It’s often a bad outcome, but there can be good outcomes as well, I saw it happen. > > But insurance was never, ever, a factor. > Always, the decision to extend care or withdraw it was ultimately up to the family. > Doctors would present the likely outcomes, and then we would follow the wishes of the family. > Sometimes, families made the wrong choice, in the eyes of the staff. There are worse things than dying. > But we always followed their wishes the best we could, providing care in hopeless cases. > \ I saw a very unfortunate family in a documentary about premature babies who had not been informed about what would happen to their baby if they did extreme intervention to save it; the child had massive disabilities, and the parents were not told that this would happen. They would have chosen to not intervene if they had had better information. It was a very sad story. > [@Independence](#): > > There are about 1M too many laws. > > Americans should be able to opt out of SS and welfare programs… In exchange for not having to pay into them, I’ll sign something revoking my right to ever draw from them. \ We had a thread a couple of years ago about a county where people had to opt into a fire fighting program, and a family that hadn’t paid for fire services had the fire department come out to save the houses on either side of them, but let their house burn to the ground. There will always be those who don’t want to pay for services, but want the services anyway once it comes down to crunch time. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/575 "2013-06-24T07:40:26Z")
I find pubic hair on a woman sexy, I do not like the appearance of completely hairless crotch. It looks like the pudenda has cancer and is getting chemo, plus when the shaved hair is growing back in it makes foreplay hard and demands going straight to penetration. Nothing kills the mood more than what feels like running your dick over a porcupine. There I said it, and yes I know my opinion is unpopular!:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/576 "2013-06-24T15:03:30Z")
> [@Independence](#): > > Americans should be able to opt out of SS and welfare programs… In exchange for not having to pay into them, I’ll sign something revoking my right to ever draw from them. It’ll never happen because the whole point of those programs is to be progressive- take money from rich people who’ll probably never need the programs, and give it to the poor people who could never fund the programs. > [@](#): > > I believe property taxes are contrary to an ownership society. If the gov can take it away from you for not paying taxes on it, then you do not own it. You are a glorified renter with some rights. Pretty much true; that’s the theory behind eminent domain. > [@](#): > > I know that buzzed driving is not drunk driving. You’d be surprised; people who insist they feel perfectly sober can show diminished coordination after just a few drinks. > [@Teddy\_Kennedy](#): > > Libertarianism is unpopular, right? I believe in self-ownership, but I disagree with the ideas of many libertarians regarding the regulation of companies (who prefer little to no regulation). A libertarianism with no regulation of industries would have to be paired with a libertarianism that didn’t provide boards of directors with police protection. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Independence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e274bd/32.png) [@Independence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Independence)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/577 "2013-06-24T16:35:55Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > We had a thread a couple of years ago about a county where people had to opt into a fire fighting program, and a family that hadn’t paid for fire services had the fire department come out to save the houses on either side of them, but let their house burn to the ground. There will always be those who don’t want to pay for services, but want the services anyway once it comes down to crunch time. Emergency response services are in no way the same thing as entitlement programs … For one example, there is no alternative. I could not chose to opt out of local fire and police to opt into private fire and police. Also, if my house is burning, the local fire and police are supposed to show up… They don’t really have the option not to. SS on the other hand… there are several ways you may never realize your SS dollars. Furthermore, one could argue that emergency response services require the cooperation of a group of people and thusly must be provided by the gov using tax dollars… However, it is NOT the government’s responsibility or business to provide retirement funds or welfare funds to the people. What’s next, the gov provides babysitting services - oh wait, they already do that? People rely on the gov way too much for their personal needs… The gov is not supposed to be a babysitter, it’s not a financial planner, it’s job is not to social engineer or “even the score”. If you ask me, the gov should focus on infrastructure and protecting our borders. With SS, there are other options to fund my own retirement. I put $800/month into my 401K. That’s 17% of my gross income. I put another couple of hundred into my IRAs (I have both a traditional and a Roth). Between myself and my employer, $500/month is paid into the SS fund on my behalf. Here is what is unfair: If I could funnel that $500/month of the MONEY THAT I EARNED into my own 401K, I could have at least $1M more dollars when I retire… This is far more than I would ever get back from SS. In fact, I may never get anything back from SS at all. I’m only 32, SS may not even be around in 33 more years and if it is, I probably won’t get 100% of my benefits. If I die before retirement unmarried and childless then all the money I paid into SS my entire life stays in the fund and I never get one dime! My $1M dollars are just GONE, like a fart in the wind… “Thank you for your prudence in planning for your own retirement lady, in response we’re going to give ALL your money away to people who refused to plan at all.” Basically, I’m shoring up the retirement shortfalls of others - to my own detriment. I may have a catastrophic life event or illness and may NEED my $1M in retirement dollars… TOO BAD, I must give that money to the gov so they can dole it out as THEY see fit. People, please plan for your own retirement and/or disability and I will plan for mine! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/578 "2013-06-24T22:28:39Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I was thinking, “I’m not conflicted about abortion,” then I realized that while I am 100% in support of every woman’s right to choose, I don’t want an abortion for myself. I guess that is indeed conflicted. 🙂 Fool of a Took! Those opinions are not in conflict. Choosing against abortion for yourself is not taking anyway any other woman’s ability to choose. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/579 "2013-06-24T22:57:22Z")
Hear, hear, **Skald**. I wish this wasn’t an issue for people, since it clouds the main argument. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/580 "2013-06-24T23:35:41Z")
> [@grude](#): > > feels like running your dick over a porcupine. How do you know what running your dick across a porcupine feels like? Shesh! Is it seriously that hard for you city folk to find an unwatched sheep? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645.md?page=30)