I’m sure we’ve all had an exchange where a disagreement led to one party saying “well, that’s my opinion and I’m entitled to it,” or something to that effect. It happens fairly regularly in my life, I suppose, which I’m sure is actually what prompted me to provide commentary on the matter of opinions.
There are some people who view their opinion as invincible. Others would even go as far as to say they have an expert opinion, without actually being educated on the topic (experiences, at times, don’t mean a damn thing). But the fact remains that, while we all have opinions, some of us simply have stupid opinions and those stupid opinions have absolutely no place in any conversation with even a shred of intellectual fortitude. While everyone is allowed to have an opinion, no one is actually entitled to their opinion, for entitlement implies said opinion is deserving of validity and some opinions, quite simply, are not valid and will never be valid.
Now, while this is a liberal-slanted publication, I am not solely taking shots at conservatives, despite their collective track record when it comes to bunk opinions. It would be irresponsible for me to only point out the intellectual failures that exist on the right. Liberals are absolutely guilty of it as well.
While conservatives beat their clubs to their chests grunting ridiculous adages about the evils of Planned Parenthood, human activities not being the cause of climate change, and how certain Biblical figures are deserving of mention in American history classes, liberals hoist a teacup to their lips (pinky out, of course) and engage in asinine rhetoric about George Bush stealing the 2000 Presidential Election, whatever the hell that white thing in Mitt Romney’s hand was, and scores of vapid 9/11 conspiracies. Also, people still seem to think no one should be forced to vaccinate their kids and no matter which idiotic side of the idiotic argument said person falls upon — whether it be the “pseudo-libertarian conservative ‘Murica freedom” side or the “junk science Mulder-esque anti-autism hippie douchebag” side — the fact they have a voice on the issue at all is a failure of monumental proportions.
Quite simply, established fact should never sit on the back burner, eclipsed by someone’s vacuous opinion. The Planned Parenthood videos are doctored, President Bush did win that election, human activities are killing the planet, Mitt Romney did not cheat, Moses does not belong in an American history class, and we all know 9/11 was orchestrated by Kyle Broflovski Islamic terrorists and Islamic terrorists alone.
And vaccines do not cause autism. Seriously, it’s general knowledge.
Ultimately, people are not entitled to their opinions. It’s absolutely injudicious to think otherwise. Just because you have an opinion doesn’t mean it’s important or worth hearing. I’m sorry to be that blunt about it, but it’s true, and the fact we allow junk ideas and imbecilic opinions to be considered valid for discourse, especially when it comes to the most important of issues, could easily prove to be the most influential form of self-sabotage we inflict upon ourselves. In effect, it’s everything wrong with us and creates an increasingly disillusioned American public whose disillusionment is best summed up by the fatuous mantra “all of the government is corrupt so I don’t care.”
If one is going to involve themselves in discussions about social welfare and politics, or “political science,” as Plato and Aristotle would say, then the contribution needs to be constructive. If it is not, then, as my friend The Juggernaut would say, “STFU and GTFO.”
