Believe it or not this post is completely suitable for work. I did it. Who knew.
Today's post is going to be short and sweet. I want to share a few thoughts with you all on opinions. Now before anyone automatically gets their undergarments in a wad, let's start this whole topic off the right way by acknowledging that every single one of us in this country, under what's left of our Constitution, is guaranteed the right to free speech so long as it does not endanger others and intrinsic within that right is your right to an opinion on any and every thing out there. Yours is just as valid as mine is.
See, that wasn't so bad, was it? Let's continue.
What I'm more concerned with today is the way in which opinions seem to be brandished about with the intellectual and social effectiveness of a 22 year old 10th grade bully. It seems to be more and more in fashion as of late to use your personal opinion to abuse, deride, lambaste, and just generally trod upon others.
But Brian, you say with aplomb, there are literally scores of people you've used your blog to rip new orifi into over the past year and change. Aren't you doing exactly what you're saying you're sick of? Well, yes and no. While I do on occasion use my blog as a literary pear of anguish (google the term if you're not familiar - I'm trying to stay in the suitable for work category today) on occasion to those I deem particularly worthy, I do so with two caveats in place. First, I have no problem whatsoever defending any words I type and publish in person and face to face. No Facebook / blog / anonymous keyboard badassery here folks. Second, and most importantly, I am willing to admit when I'm wrong and have on at least two occasions published retractions / changes to my opinions on issues or people.
You see, in a lot of ways I'm encouraged by the fact that, basically beginning with last year's Presidential debates, the people of this great land are actually getting engaged in their society again and developing real opinions instead of asking their spouse where all the remote batteries went and what that buzzing noise is that's coming from the bedroom while they power eat Twinkies in front of the Playstation. The problem comes in that while these opinions are developed there is seemingly little thought to their formative process. In effect, our great citizenry is running around brandishing the intellectual equivalent of a knee jerk reaction to a headline on the Bloomberg ticker or some offhanded sound byte and using it as a cudgel to wreak havoc on those who take the slightest issue or espouse a differing view.
Look, I'm all about Civil Discourse as a concept. As I've said before I still find it amazing that a group of 300 lb iron junkies can stand around a gym floor and calmly discuss politics, gun control, religions, or whatever happens to come up while four people in street clothes can't decide what restaurant to go to without fisticuffs ensuing. Maybe it's just that large folk don't want to waste the energy on trying to preach to someone else, or maybe it's that in some groups it's just accepted there will be differences in opinion and in the overall that's just okay.
What irritates me is when someone is unwilling to first educate themselves on a topic before developing a near-sacred opinion and opening their mouth and then secondly refuses to let anyone else feel differently because "they're just wrong." But then again the Christian church has used that very logic throughout history as proof of cause for exactly how many wars?
Kids, opinions are great things and we are all chock full of them. Express yours as often as you can please, but just take a second / minute / couple of days / whatever is necessary to make sure yours isn't making you look like the uneducated and easily manipulated jackass you swear up and down that you aren't. Just sayin', as always.
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