is it so wrong to have an opinion?

Started by Nidorina of Time Lord May 30th, 2015 8:52 AM
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  • 32 replies

Nidorina of Time Lord

Waiting for the Sun to come...

Age 24
Female
Canterlot
Seen October 21st, 2016
Posted August 21st, 2016
797 posts
8.1 Years
In this messed up world, it seems like you have to either agree with the majority or you'll be singled out, attacked, called names, etc.

Why do people like me get so much hate just for having our own opinions? I wish I could live in a world where we could say what we wanted without having to worry about people lashing out.

When I get online, people often mistake me for a troll just because my opinions are so radical to them. They will think I'm joking. I am not a troll. I never mean to make anyone mad. I am just a very black and white person. No lenience. I strongly take one side on various subjects and usually it's the side most people disagree with.

What is one to do when the whole world is against them?
I am Fire, the girl who ironically favours the grass type. Cute Pokémon rule!
~Omega Ruby, Y, White 2, Pearl and Heart Gold owner. ~

maccrash

foggy notion

Age 24
Male
Massachusetts
Seen October 7th, 2021
Posted April 17th, 2017
3,583 posts
9.2 Years
it's not the world: it's just the internet. from what I understand from your post I'm assuming that your views are more conservative-leaning, which is super uncommon on the internet from what I've experienced and a lot of people are gonna look down on you for it. the internet's kind of a dumb place that way, but I guess I got lucky in that I'm left-leaning wrt almost every issue.

there are always gonna be people whose beliefs don't necessarily gel with yours. but there will also always be people who are gonna agree with what you're saying. it's just a matter of finding them.
you're the poet in my heart

twocows

The not-so-black cat of ill omen

Age 32
Male
Michigan
Seen February 19th, 2023
Posted April 30th, 2021
4,307 posts
14.2 Years
In this messed up world, it seems like you have to either agree with the majority or you'll be singled out, attacked, called names, etc.

Why do people like me get so much hate just for having our own opinions? I wish I could live in a world where we could say what we wanted without having to worry about people lashing out.

When I get online, people often mistake me for a troll just because my opinions are so radical to them. They will think I'm joking. I am not a troll. I never mean to make anyone mad. I am just a very black and white person. No lenience. I strongly take one side on various subjects and usually it's the side most people disagree with.

What is one to do when the whole world is against them?
If you truly do see most things in black and white, I hope that you reflect on that at some point. I really think a lot of political and ethical matters are much more gray. At the very least, I hope you're not overly judgmental of those who disagree with you. Many people have good reasons why they believe what they do and people of good conscience can and often do come to conflicting conclusions.

That said, I agree with your main sentiment. It seems like many people are just absolutely horrible at dealing with dissenting opinion. People are too quick to call any dissenting thought a "troll." I think they're probably just passionate about their beliefs, but such responses lower the level of discourse and don't accomplish anything helpful. There are legitimate trolls out there but they usually don't try to actually explain their position and back it up.
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Her

Age 29
Seen 3 Hours Ago
Posted 1 Week Ago
Opinions are not infallible and should be subjected to criticism as the situation sees fit.

Kanzler

naughty biscotti

Male
Toronto
Seen April 22nd, 2022
Posted March 11th, 2022
5,957 posts
14.8 Years
I don't think anybody thinks it's wrong to have an opinion. Nobody says "oooh look at him he has an opinion booo". What we're all really talking about is how people will criticize you for having a specific opinion, not for having opinion(s) to begin with. I think it's an important distinction to make and it's not just pedantry: I find that a lot of people defend their opinion by saying "what's wrong with having an opinion" without actually addressing their opinion in any shape or form. I think it's worth giving people who disagree with you the credibility of presuming that they disagree with your opinion, instead of being upset that you're not on the bandwagon/having your own opinions. People want others to be like them, yes, but that's not the only issue here.

Seth Rollins

Holding on to You |-/

Age 22
Male
Nah
Seen February 27th, 2017
Posted January 16th, 2017
2,398 posts
10.4 Years
Who said that? It's not wrong to have an opinion. If someone doesn't respect your opinion just ignore them, they're not worth your time. You have the right to say whatever you want, even "Magikarp is the best pokemon", so don't pay attention to those that call you names etc.

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Ivysaur

Grass dinosaur extraordinaire

Age 32
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Madrid, Europe
Seen 2 Days Ago
Posted April 5th, 2023
21,076 posts
16.2 Years
You raise an interesting matter. People should be allowed to have their own opinions, and there should be nothing wrong with the act of expressing your opinions. That's what free speech is all about. But- you cannot expect your opinions to be respected by everybody. "It's my opinion" shouldn't be -and cannot be- a free escape card for someone who thinks something ridiculous is right. If someone's opinion that women should be enslaved at home to make babies, they are certainly free to say so, but realizing that, by doing so, they are putting that opinion up for debate- and if people widely disagree with it, well, running away claiming that people "won't let you talk" only shows inability to debate. As Kanzler said, people aren't attacked for "having an opinion", but because their opinion of X subject is considered wrong.

You are the owner of your silence and your words. Nobody is required to give an opinion on X subject if they don't want to. If you do, you should be ready to have that idea debated openly.

Also, unless you are having your speech banned by some power, or forced to comply with an stablished idea by means of violence, then chances are the problem is not that "you have an opinion" but the opinion itself.

Kotone

someone needed a doctor?

Female
somewhere ;]
Seen June 29th, 2018
Posted June 14th, 2018
2,787 posts
14.1 Years
i don't think their is anything wrong with having different opinions. some people just don't like seeing the other side of what they think is correct. everyone is going to always have different views. people just need to learn that there's always another side to the story.

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America
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Posted August 5th, 2019
928 posts
8.7 Years
Of course it's wrong! I'm always right and that's final! I... I mean everyone should be entitled to their own opinions. However that idea always flies out the window once they hear something they agree with. People just want to be right. That's human nature, although that's a definite flaw about us. We're ever rarely open to someone else's idea.


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Megan

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Online now
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10.3 Years
In this messed up world, it seems like you have to either agree with the majority or you'll be singled out, attacked, called names, etc.
Actually, I experienced the complete opposite. Most of my life I've just gone with whatever everybody else went, but as a result, there's nowhere other people could put me, because there's just nothing special about me as a result. It's one of the main reasons why I ended up alone.

So, I think, if people notice you, because of your opinion, that's hardly a wrong thing. You just need to put it into the right words. :P
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Aeroblast

Male
Basement
Seen February 25th, 2017
Posted February 25th, 2017
4,173 posts
9.8 Years
it's perfectly fine to have disagreements. in fact I think disagreements can help more than agreements because it helps you see things from differing perspectives.

but what I do dislike is when people resort to name calling and insulting instead of trying to have a meaningful debate. if you want to disagree, fine, but state why you do, and please do so without being petty.

Somewhere_

i don't know where

Age 23
Male
somewhere (duh)
Seen June 5th, 2019
Posted March 17th, 2019
In this messed up world, it seems like you have to either agree with the majority or you'll be singled out, attacked, called names, etc.

Why do people like me get so much hate just for having our own opinions? I wish I could live in a world where we could say what we wanted without having to worry about people lashing out.

When I get online, people often mistake me for a troll just because my opinions are so radical to them. They will think I'm joking. I am not a troll. I never mean to make anyone mad. I am just a very black and white person. No lenience. I strongly take one side on various subjects and usually it's the side most people disagree with.

What is one to do when the whole world is against them?
It is not wrong to have an opinion. I am often "made fun of" (a little too strong for what it really is). Because I am Christian and am open about it (not forcing it down throats), I am often called stupid, dumb, ignorant, and weird- even by my closer friends. In fact, I am none of those things as I actually challenge (and still am) my beliefs and research. I have debated them, and each time, pointed out their own flaws and contradictions, proven my points, and then they go away because they are "tired". Like you, I am on the side most people disagree with. Its a tough place to be sometimes.

In case you haven't notice, I am conservative. Most people on the internet are definitely more liberal than conservative. From my experience, conservatives seem to be a minority, on the internet and where I live. I am not saying you are conservative or anything, but my point is, people with judge you. And that is a given. Dont take any offense to what one may say.

The world is very messed up. I have accepted that fact.
Age 31
Male
Fortree City, Hoenn
Seen December 6th, 2017
Posted November 14th, 2017
1,276 posts
9.5 Years
It's not the opinions themselves that are the problem, but how they're addressed. Far too often in today's world, opinions of any kind are dumbed down to the most basic sound bytes and bombarded across the media, whether to promote their own opinions or shoot down others. My largest concern is that neither side of the issue ever plays devil's advocate. They blind themselves to their opponents' arguments and ignore all holes in their own. There is no one perfect approach to anything in life, but listening to and analyzing the wisdom of others is a step closer to finding the solution to the problems we face.
This, this is spot on. Ultimately most media has to be sold to its presented in a way that its target audience want it to be presented.

Lately my political and ideological beliefs are almost at war with themselves, the more I think about stuff I find that its near impossible for me to identify with Right/Left, Conservative/Liberal as there are things I agree and disagree with from both sides. But people, political parties or the media tend to pick one side and stick to it without questioning the positives and negatives of either side, and focus on attacking the opposition (often more than trying to promote their own perspective).

So yes in a way for lots of people its wrong to have an opinion if that opinion is not what other people want to hear.

Nidorina of Time Lord

Waiting for the Sun to come...

Age 24
Female
Canterlot
Seen October 21st, 2016
Posted August 21st, 2016
797 posts
8.1 Years
It is not wrong to have an opinion. I am often "made fun of" (a little too strong for what it really is). Because I am Christian and am open about it (not forcing it down throats), I am often called stupid, dumb, ignorant, and weird- even by my closer friends. In fact, I am none of those things as I actually challenge (and still am) my beliefs and research. I have debated them, and each time, pointed out their own flaws and contradictions, proven my points, and then they go away because they are "tired". Like you, I am on the side most people disagree with. Its a tough place to be sometimes.

In case you haven't notice, I am conservative. Most people on the internet are definitely more liberal than conservative. From my experience, conservatives seem to be a minority, on the internet and where I live. I am not saying you are conservative or anything, but my point is, people with judge you. And that is a given. Dont take any offense to what one may say.

The world is very messed up. I have accepted that fact.
Yes, compared to most of the world, I am Conservative. But I'm a bit more lenient than most other Christians I know, which is leading me to be an outcast even at my own church, simply because my morals aren't as strict.

Sorry if that was hard to understand.
Basically to the rest of the world, I'm too strict.
To my church, I'm not strict enough.
I am Fire, the girl who ironically favours the grass type. Cute Pokémon rule!
~Omega Ruby, Y, White 2, Pearl and Heart Gold owner. ~

Somewhere_

i don't know where

Age 23
Male
somewhere (duh)
Seen June 5th, 2019
Posted March 17th, 2019
Yes, compared to most of the world, I am Conservative. But I'm a bit more lenient than most other Christians I know, which is leading me to be an outcast even at my own church, simply because my morals aren't as strict.

Sorry if that was hard to understand.
Basically to the rest of the world, I'm too strict.
To my church, I'm not strict enough.
My only advice than is to find a new church or pray about which morals to follow. When I graduate high school and move out from my parents, I am planning on going non-denominational.
Age 36
Male
Domino City
Seen July 2nd, 2015
Posted June 27th, 2015
67 posts
13.1 Years
it's not the world: it's just the internet. from what I understand from your post I'm assuming that your views are more conservative-leaning, which is super uncommon on the internet from what I've experienced
have you considered that this is because of where you hang out? there are plenty of conservative places on the internet bruh

anyways he may not be conservative, you are very very left wing (and this is based on your history not on this one post) so many times when ppl disagree with you, you tend to assume theyre conservative. hell you acted like i was conservative and i am a registered democrat, your probably skewed because of your own political views... conservative and liberal are pretty subjective terms if your comparing others to yourself

regardless of this it should be noted that having an opinion is never wrong inherently, an opinion is wrong because you cant justify it with the relevant evidence

and a lot of people are gonna look down on you for it.
unfortunately this is exactly what the thread is trying to address

the problem with just looking down on somoene for having an opinion on something that doesnt agree with your own is that the person has different experiences that build that opinion. it shouldnt be a race to get the largest number of people who agree with you it should be expressing how you actually feel

i find that debating with people who disagree with me to be quite enlighteing, you learn a lot about what other people believe and some things that you may have missed on your own opinion. having other opinions isnt bad and honestly its more bad to claim someone is wrong just for having that opinion - basically you neglect their thought as an individual and place your thoughts higher than others

an example: many feminists on the internet seem to believe that a woman who isnt a feminist has something "wrong" with them, without apparently noticing that its very sexist of them to place their own beliefs of how a woman should be (women should be feminists) over an actual womans opinion. many feminists will say that anti-feminist women are stupid, uneducated or abused, but in many cases its simply that the woman doesnt agree with parts of the movement - a very legitimate and understandable complaint, if they have the evidence to support it. at that point it is far better to simply respect their opinion and move on

we should challenge our beliefs frequently because sometimes we can get so caught up in what we believe that we lose sight of other people and the whole world and focus on ourselves and this happens to anyone not just conservatives. in fact im noticing it quite a bit in liberal circles more than more conservative circles which is worrying

anyways to answer the subject i think its pretty clear that its not wrong to have an opinion. just make sure you can back it up. challenge yourself and try to think of ways your opinion could be wrong and try to expose yourself to people who dont agree with you because you might just learn something new. but never feel that you are obliged to have an opinion, and i think that is what can get really bad about some communities on the internet. while some communities in real life exist like that theyre not as big and usually less vocal since there no longer anon
well that wasn't very logical was it

Pinkie-Dawn

Vampire Waifu

Age 30
Male
California
Seen February 16th, 2021
Posted May 16th, 2019
9,528 posts
10.5 Years
It isn't wrong to have an opinion per say, but it is wrong to have a bad opinion, where it's based on lack of research, egotism, or just for the sake of trying to be different from the crowd as if they're a special snowflake, which I usually see in the Culture Media and Video Games sections of this forum with popular movies and games that truly deserved the praise. These bad opinions can be easily torn down with evidence, but depending on the person, he or she will be too stubborn to admit his or her opinions were proven wrong.

Zeffy

g'day

Male
Seen December 1st, 2022
Posted January 30th, 2021
6,395 posts
14.1 Years
having an opinion isn't inherently wrong nor right. however, opinions can also be weighed in a scale of bad to good, wherein what is considered 'bad' or 'good' is dictated by society and culture. a problem arises when different groups of people have different constructs of what is a good and a bad opinion.

it's the people, man

maccrash

foggy notion

Age 24
Male
Massachusetts
Seen October 7th, 2021
Posted April 17th, 2017
3,583 posts
9.2 Years
I'm sick right now and posting from my phone so Pardon Me in advance: are you confusing me with someone else Brandon? I don't recall ever really arguing with you and if I did I had no recollection of mislabeling you as a conservative. if so, my mistake! this might be my fevered self simply forgetting. wrt there being plenty of conservative places on the internet, it's true but the majority of the Huge Sites are notoriously left-leaning, this one notwithstanding.
you're the poet in my heart

Evening

Non-binary
(Blank)
Seen December 1st, 2021
Posted February 5th, 2016
808 posts
9.4 Years
You know, some of the people you're referring to are just so insecure that they have to agree with the majority. At least you have some people who agree with you, there's gotta be. Also, don't get discouraged by them; I can already see that from your post.

Anti

return of the king

Non-binary
Kobe's Reality
Seen March 6th, 2022
Posted January 17th, 2022
10,818 posts
15.8 Years
i dislike the cultural currency we have attached to opinions. phrases like "i am entitled to my opinion" and "stand up for what you believe in" (and the attitude that they represent) attempt to empower people to be firm in their beliefs. i see some of those vibes in the op of this thread. you never hear anyone say "are the people who are attacking you making good points?"; "do you see anything differently?"; "are you sure/how can you be sure that your opinion is correct?" there's nothing wrong with having an opinion, but as previous poster and expert witch hermione granger notes, there is nothing right about it either. i am very suspicious of people who proudly self-identify as opinionated, if only because i think there are very few opinions that are so obviously sound that they should be held very strongly. even well thought-through positions can be undermined by someone's narrowness of perspective that is inevitable since human life varies so much across the planet. (there's a reason i don't post in this forum.)

that all said, it does feel like there is something fundamentally human about intolerance of other perspectives, so all you can do is try your best. since everyone is guilty of this to some extent, i think the best thing we can do is to be self-critical but empathetic in attempting to be intellectually humble.

IT IS THE PEOPLE MAN
Why are the beautiful sick and divided like myself?

starseed galaxy auticorn

PC's Resident Auticorn

Age 34
she/he/they
the land of magical unicorns
Seen 1 Week Ago
Posted 1 Week Ago
6,648 posts
18.9 Years
It depends. I mean, if there are certain facts stating the person being wrong about their opinion, then I do think it's wrong. Take for example, and I remind you this is a true example too, Autism Speaks. Everyone thinks this organization is all sunshine and daisies. People who support them are too blind to see the truth. I once got upset with a favorite VA of mine for supporting them. Autism Speaks true purpose is to come up with a prenatal test to see if the fetus will be born with autism or not. This would bring up every reason for the fetus to be aborted if it was later on. This, my friends, is wrong. I told this voice actor to look up the facts too, and he flat out refused to do so saying he supported me still. It made me feel even more less of a human for having him support this. I won't go into more detail about Autism Speaks, so I just used an example there as I said.

However, I don't think it's wrong to have an opinion about things. It just depends on the facts if you ask me though. Then again, even facts can be somewhat biased at times. So, everyone does have a right to have their own opinion at times. It's really hard to explain...

AkameTheBulbasaur

Akame Marukawa of Iyotono

Age 25
Male
A place :D
Seen 3 Weeks Ago
Posted January 11th, 2023
408 posts
10 Years
It depends on the opinion. Sometimes things are truly subjective, like what Pokemon a person likes the best. If Person A likes Sunkern, and Person B does not, they should just agree to disagree and let it go.

However, you cannot ignore objective facts. If Person A tried to claim that Sunkern has the highest stats of any Pokemon in the game, it would clearly be false, and there are plenty of reputable sources to debunk that claim. Unless it's some crazy hack, you will never find a Sunkern with higher base stats than Arceus.

I get what OP is feeling. Sometimes people get very passionate about issues to the point where even if someone level headed shows them well reasoned, well sourced evidence to the contrary of their claim, they will still ignore it in favor of their current belief. You can't change everyone's minds, and if they aren't willing to try to fact check themselves, they probably never will.

It's not wrong to have feelings. Feelings are neither right nor wrong, they just are. How you act on them is the key factor. For really important issues, one must be willing to put aside their emotions and look at the issue at hand from a logical perspective. It's easier said than done, and it's it impossible to be completely unbiased, but this is a case of where the act of trying is more significant than the act of succeeding.

But all that starts to fall apart when people take the phrase "I disagree and here's why." to mean "You're a terrible person and I hate you." Disagreeing doesn't inherently mean two people don't like each other. I disagree with my best friends on things all the time. It's my personal belief that if you're so attached to your ideology that criticism of it translates to the hatred of yourself, it's probably time to back up the truck and contemplate whether or not it's really healthy to be that way, and if upholding that ideology is really worth possibly losing friends over.
"The human sacrificed himself, to save the Pokemon. I pitted them against each other, but not until they set aside their differences did I see the true power they all share deep inside. I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are." -Mewtwo