# 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:** 37
**Author:** ![Fuji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Fuji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/721 "2013-11-21T23:14:19Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > I am absolutely convinced that David Stern rigged the 1985 NBA Draft so that Patrick Ewing would get selected by the New York Knicks! He thumbed the envelope. Watch the bloody footage if you don’t believe me. Sorry, I just [watched](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX1kMlG8c7Y) it, per Bill Simmons’ suggestion, and I just don’t see it. Oh, this is probably an unpopular opinion here, but I think that the United States, even given all of its scientific and cultural achievements, is not necessarily a net positive for the progression of humanity. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/722 "2013-11-22T00:13:18Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > I believe that the average American citizen needs to take a greater interest in humanitarian causes around the world. “We send our thoughts and prayers.” Helpful, but also SEND YOUR MONEY! America is number 5 on the World Giving Index. We send more money than almost everybody. > [@ekedolphin](#): > > I believe new video games should retail for no greater than $49.99 under any circumstances. Yes, some games cost $59.99, but video games have always been priced between $39.99 and $69.99. “Video Games” have never been cheaper with so many great games now priced at $19.99 or less. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Fuji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/723 "2013-11-22T01:10:49Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > America is number 5 on the World Giving Index. We send more money than almost everybody. Whoop-de-fucking-do. Where does America rank on the World Brutal Hypocrisy Index? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/724 "2013-11-22T01:32:15Z")
> [@Fuji](#): > > Whoop-de-fucking-do. Where does America rank on the World Brutal Hypocrisy Index? I… I don’t even know what that is. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Fuji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/725 "2013-11-22T02:15:35Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I… I don’t even know what that is. Of course you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/726 "2013-11-22T07:01:03Z")
> [@Fuji](#): > > Whoop-de-fucking-do. Where does America rank on the World Brutal Hypocrisy Index? :rolleyes: A few more: -I believe in constitutional revision, with the abolition of currently outdated state boundaries and reorganization of the country based on economic and social realities -I think more solemn displays of the power of the American Republic are needed such as military parades, and other state ceremonies along with defining the American state as a representative of Western civilization, and promoting an American national identity and culture to all its citizens. -The national anthem should be “Battle Hymn of the Republic” which should be sung everyday at the beginning of school along with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. -Monocles and top hats should be revived -While I detest the practice of smoking, I support the existence of ceremonial cigars as a fashion accessory ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/727 "2013-11-22T09:26:52Z")
Hmm. I like “Battle Hymn”, I really do. And I’m a Christian. But as national anthem candidates go, it’s a bit militaristic for my personal taste. And it also isn’t inclusive of those who don’t believe in God. My personal choice would be “America the Beautiful”. But dascool. A few posts up, someone said that raising one’s children to be religious is child abuse. I am _really_ showing a lot of restraint in not starting a Pit thread about that one. Instead I will try, for the moment, to let logic have its day. If the parents believe in, for example, Jesus Christ, why _wouldn’t_ they want to raise their child to come to know Him as well? Whether atheists believe it or not, the parents believe that in raising their child to have a personal relationship with Jesus, they are improving the quality of their child’s life. Isn’t that the fervent wish of _every_ parent? Moreover, they believe they’re saving their child’s soul, “fitting them for heaven to live with Thee there.” That’s an enormous responsibility, and a choice that no one has the right to take out of the parents’ hands. I believe that deliberately teaching your child to have fundamentally different values is far more harmful. Not all religious people want to take away your right to live the life you want to live! Not all Christians as are you say. I will fully admit that historically speaking, terrible things have been done in the name of God. Today’s world is certainly no exception! But you’re implying unanimity from the actions of a relatively small sampling. Or perhaps a vocal minority; I’m not really sure which. I think we ought to be more concerned with teaching our children not to be assholes. (Please understand, I am not calling anyone in this thread an asshole). I’m saying that there are asshole Christians and asshole non-Christians, and there ought to be less of both, aye? Golly, after this turned into an impromptu dissertation, it makes my upcoming post about Unpopular Opinions About Professional Wrestling sound a whole lot less sexy. I’ll c/p it when I’m not on my cell. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/728 "2013-11-22T13:32:24Z")
> [@Fuji](#): > > Of course you don’t. That was an opening for you to explain it to me, not get all smug and condescending. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/729 "2013-11-22T13:46:07Z")
In God We Trust… All Others Pay Cash That should be the US official motto/slogan/jingle/whatever. It fits us so fucking well. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/730 "2013-11-22T14:59:04Z")
I think it’s horrible to make kids believe that Santa Claus actually exists. The concept of Santa, fine, have fun with the make-believe. But to make kids think he’s REAL is just mean. I think Christmas is a bullshit holiday that has been taken over by commercialism. As for charities that help less fortunate people - as soon as The Season is over everyone seems to go back to not giving a shit about those in need. I know this sounds very selfish and counter-productive, but I hate giving money to cancer charities. People raise millions of dollars for “cancer research” yet it still took my best friend. (I know, it’s a totally irrational way of thinking.) I’d rather donate to animal charities, people can take care of themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/731 "2013-11-22T15:30:45Z")
I may have already posted in this thread, but I’m not sure. Forgive me if I’ve repeated myself. I think that while abortions should be completely legal everywhere, there should be a certain amount of responsibility women (and their partners) need to bear for getting pregnant. Birth control education needs to be a lot better taught in the U.S. I think the U.S. needs to size down our military to nothing but the National Guard, then get the hell out of foreign affairs. We have too many problems of our own and need to focus on those. Probably not unpopular for this board, but I think the top executives of corporations should be criminally liable and go to prison for breaking corporate laws. Something’s wrong with our system when a potential fine or settlement is factored into the business decision of whether or not to break the law. On top of that, business school students should be required to complete a year-long seminar/research project on business ethics in order to graduate. I think the drinking age should be dropped to 16 or 18 and the cultural norm should be for parents to let their young kids try a sip of alcohol every now and then. If it’s no longer taboo, they’ll be less inclined to binge. I am completely on the fence about guns. On one hand, I feel extensive psychological testing should be required before a person obtains a firearms permit, and getting that permit should be more difficult than getting a driver’s license. On the other hand, the populace needs access to firearms in order to revolt against a tyrannical government. There’s really no one good solution. When people feel pedophilia is punishable by death, I think our society’s priorities are out of order. Only murder should be punishable by death. I don’t think our culture is at all desensitized to violence. In fact, we’re more sensitive to it than most civilizations in history. Nurture is way more influential than nature in a person’s psychological development. Tattoos are beautiful, especially on women. That said, I think something is wrong with people who get facial tattoos. As much as the Republican Party has shot itself in the foot over the past decade, I think Obama and the Democrats are weak for still letting themselves get pushed around. I myself have been unaffiliated since I was old enough to vote. ---
**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:** [November 22, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/732 "2013-11-22T17:02:28Z")
> [@Fuji](#): > > Whoop-de-fucking-do. Where does America rank on the World Brutal Hypocrisy Index? > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I… I don’t even know what that is. > [@Fuji](#): > > Of course you don’t. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > That was an opening for you to explain it to me, not get all smug and condescending. That just shows how hypocritical you are. You aren’t owed an explanation, you need to admit how wrong and evil you are. (J.K!) ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/733 "2013-11-22T17:30:51Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Hitler was evil, but not as evil as Stalin and Mao. Hitler was roughly equal to Lenin and Trotsky on the scale of evilness. People who do or did support communism are worse than neo-Nazis. I find this shocking and offensive, though it may be because of personal history- prior to escaping Europe, my German Jewish grandmother and her family supported the German communist party, largely because it was the best alternative to the Nazi party, before the Nazis took power. The German communists of the 20s and 30s were not even close to as bad as the Nazis. Also, I think Stalin and Mao were very evil (perhaps as evil as Hitler), but nothing they did was more evil than Hitler’s mass murder and attempted genocide. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/734 "2013-11-22T19:38:30Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I think it’s horrible to make kids believe that Santa Claus actually exists. The concept of Santa, fine, have fun with the make-believe. But to make kids think he’s REAL is just mean. > > I think Christmas is a bullshit holiday that has been taken over by commercialism. […] Where do you stand with the movie _Miracle on 34th Street_ and Stan Freberg’s bit “Green Chri$tma$”? ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/735 "2013-11-22T19:40:33Z")
Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes was hammier than a butcher’s apron. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Fuji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/736 "2013-11-23T02:04:38Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > That was an opening for you to explain it to me, not get all smug and condescending. Eh, it’s my opinion. I think the US blows ass in many ways and I’m very glad I don’t live there anymore. I suppose I could start a thread in GD (“Resolved: The US is a brutal and hypocritical nation”), but to do so seems needlessly antagonistic on a US-centric message board, hence my post here in the **unpopular** opinion thread. Besides, it’s not like I _hate_ the place. Some of my best friends are Americans. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BugsyPal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c6cbf5/32.png) [@BugsyPal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BugsyPal)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2013, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/737 "2013-11-24T05:43:06Z")
Hi all - long time lurker and SD fan, first-time poster here. Here are a few of mine: - Petrol should cost at least $10 per litre. The level of car dependence around here is just scary and, to a significant degree, unnecessary. - I‘m not in the least bit interested in football and nor, I am convinced, are most other people. They just pretend they are in order to fit in socially. - The Australian flag should be changed to something more meaningful and relevant to contemporary society. - In order to prevent criminal offending, we need to pay far greater attention to addressing its root causes instead of obsessing over how best to seek retribution once the deed is done. That‘s just for starters - believe me, I have plenty more where that came from! ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2013, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/738 "2013-11-24T06:05:14Z")
> [@BugsyPal](#): > > Hi all - long time lurker and SD fan, first-time poster here. > > snip > > - I‘m not in the least bit interested in football and nor, I am convinced, are most other people. They just pretend they are in order to fit in socially. > > snip Ah, but how do you feel about Vegemite? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2013, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/739 "2013-11-24T08:08:42Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > I support abortion rights, but I think there should be some kind of cap on them. If you’re aborting, say, one baby a year for six years, that is _way_ too much. I see what you’re getting at. On the other hand, saying “ok, you’re someone who has gotten a lot of abortions, so now we will force you to keep this one” seems like a kind of crazy policy. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645/740 "2013-11-24T22:47:23Z")
Valentine’s Day is a stupid, unnecessary “day” invented to pressure people to spend money on “loving” gifts that they ought to be giving, in material or non-material ways, throughout the year. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645.md?page=36) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-most-unpopular-opinions/655645.md?page=38)