Saturday, November 05, 2005
IMHO
I don't know about anyone else but that acronym really pisses me off. Of course it is your opinion, everything you say should be your opinion. What really bugs me though is that many people often use it to deflect any criticism of what they say.
You often hear phrases such as: "Opinions are like assholes, everyone has them and they all stink" or "There are no bad opinions". Frankly to me this is complete and utter bullshit. Not all opinions are automatically equal nor are all opinions good ones because they are opinions. A good opinion is a good opinion not because the person who has it is right or wrong but because they justify it well and respect the opinions of others. Far too often a person will present an "opinion" without doing either but when someone else tears them a new one using facts he tries to cover himself up with a shield of "opinion" and then will lash violently against those who strongly argue their opinions usually insulting the people who dissent against him and then declaring himself the winner when the insulted either responds in kind or just decides to ignore him. The internet world knows them as trolls.
Sadly there are far too many people who while not of the kind I just described but believe in such phrases and will often defend them without question, especially if that person's bad opinion agrees with their more well-developed arguement. It goes for every sort of debate but is where flame-wars erupt.
I'd like to think that everyone believes in their opinions but I'd like it even more if people would stop hiding behind their opinion as being impervious to debate. But that is just my opinion.
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You often hear phrases such as: "Opinions are like assholes, everyone has them and they all stink" or "There are no bad opinions". Frankly to me this is complete and utter bullshit. Not all opinions are automatically equal nor are all opinions good ones because they are opinions. A good opinion is a good opinion not because the person who has it is right or wrong but because they justify it well and respect the opinions of others. Far too often a person will present an "opinion" without doing either but when someone else tears them a new one using facts he tries to cover himself up with a shield of "opinion" and then will lash violently against those who strongly argue their opinions usually insulting the people who dissent against him and then declaring himself the winner when the insulted either responds in kind or just decides to ignore him. The internet world knows them as trolls.
Sadly there are far too many people who while not of the kind I just described but believe in such phrases and will often defend them without question, especially if that person's bad opinion agrees with their more well-developed arguement. It goes for every sort of debate but is where flame-wars erupt.
I'd like to think that everyone believes in their opinions but I'd like it even more if people would stop hiding behind their opinion as being impervious to debate. But that is just my opinion.
