No, It’s Not Your Opinion. You’re Just Wrong

[TransitJohn]

I have had so many conversations or email exchanges with students in the last few years wherein I anger them by indicating that simply saying, "This is my opinion" does not preclude a connected statement from being dead wrong. It still baffles me that some feel those four words somehow give them carte blanche to spout batshit oratory or prose. And it really scares me that some of those students think education that challenges their ideas is equivalent to an attack on their beliefs.

-Mick Cullen

I spend far more time arguing on the Internet than can possibly be healthy, and the word I’ve come to loath more than any other is “opinion”. Opinion, or worse “belief”, has become the shield of every poorly-conceived notion that worms its way onto social media.

There’s a common conception that an opinion cannot be wrong. My dad said it. Hell, everyone’s dad probably said it and in the strictest terms it is true. However, before you crouch behind your Shield of Opinion you need to ask yourself two questions.

1. Is this actually an opinion?

2. If it is an opinion how informed is it and why do I hold it?

I’ll help you with the first part. An opinion is a preference for or judgment of something. My favorite color is black. I think mint tastes awful. Doctor Who is the best television show. These are all opinions. They may be unique to me alone or massively shared across the general population but they all have one thing in common; they cannot be verified outside the fact that I believe them.

http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/no-it-s-not-your-opinion-you-re-just-wrong-7611752

[skepticscott]

1. The Religion Group

is swarming with people who think that all "opinions" are equally valid or that how firmly an opinion is held has any relationship to how closely it conforms to truth and reality. Or who think that "I have a different point of view" is an argument for anything.

[Archae]

2. Even when an opinion is based on pure bullshit, it is defended to the death.

Just go into an anti-GMO thread with facts and science.

[Warpy]

4. Oh, I think they should have allowed GMO labeling.

Given the multiple sources that go into processed foods, the labels would have read "May contain one or more GMO products: soy, wheat, corn, tomato, etc ad nauseum. Most labels would say exactly that unless they were the overly pure health food store stuff.

People would triple their food bill, start to starve, or just take their chances the way rational people do.

[Archae]

6. Yeah, put this label on all the produce, every cucumber, squash or tomato in a grocery store.

This is what propaganda accomplishes.

Doesn't matter how fake the information is, say it enough and the majority believes it, in this case people see "GMO" and they right away think of a mad scientist going from tomato to tomato cackling evilly while holding a needle.

GMO's are SAFE.

All the available credible research says so.

The organic hucksters don't like this fact, because it cuts into their profits.
And organic is big business, chargin several times in some cases the market prices for non-organic food.

[Warpy]

3. Yeah, I really hate reminding people of my nerdy and nursing backgrounds

but when they're talking pure bullshit woo, I often have to. The smart ones shut up. The stupid ones just tell me I'm spouting propaganda and call me a shill.

The only thing you can do with the stupid ones is walk away, twirling your index finger next to your temple.

I've got opinions, but if I don't change at least 3 of them by lunchtime, it means I've slept in.

[DetlefK]

5. Just say it: "Your opinion is worthless."

Opinions cannot be true or false because they are bound to the subject making the opinion. However an opinion is either of use or it is not.