- Jun 7, 2004
- 18,106
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So I am not to have an opinion if it doesn't agree with your perception of things?
It's this kind of malignant shit that has happened to the word "opinion" over the past 10 years or so.
Not all opinions are created equal. Some opinions are based on reality and some are incorrect. Saying someone's opinion is incorrect is not the same as denying them the right to express themselves.
You can say red is green as many times as you want and you have the right to do that, but it doesn't make red into green.
"My opinion" used to mean "I like artichokes" or "I really hate yellow". Not "vaccines are dangerous" (from a non-scientist) or "guns don't kill people, people kill people", or "all these women who say they were harassed are just craving publicity", or "all these Black Lives Matter protesters are just reverse racists", or even "all Chelsea fans are chavs".
The first kind is about personal preference. That's an "opinion" and you can't say "no, you don't like artichokes" or "no, you love yellow", because they're obviously absurd statements.
The second kind is not "opinion". It's an attempted statement of fact based on an absence of information and knowledge. Which generally leads to a false statement.
I go on and on about this because I think it's a really important distinction. I'd propose that the change in the status of "opinion" over the past 10+ years, largely as a result of the internet, is what has delivered us Donald Trump and Brexit.
People ignore facts because "it's my opinion" now means "anything I say is as good as anything you say, even if I don't have any information or understanding".
It isn't. Most opinions are just wrong.