I think people with unpopular opinions should shut up about them.
...All right, in addition to being something of a paradox within the context of this topic, that's not exactly true. We need people with unpopular opinions to speak their mind. But I really wish that people who do so would have something to back their opinions up, some commonly recognizable shred of proof or fact or reason, something to make them a decent proponent of their point of view rather than just one more doofus with an opinion. If you have a burning fire in your belly about, say, vaccinations all being part of a government program to reduce voter IQ, you might want to consider the possibility that that burning fire is just the tacos you ate for lunch. And go watch a video or something, rather than clicking "post".
Failing to rise above the "opinions are like a$$#@%&$" test, could we at least try to sound like reasonable, polite human beings who are actually listening to one another rather than the Internet equivalent of that guy who's just waiting for you to stop talking so he can ramble?
Being with the majority does not make you right; any student of history can tell you as much. But neither does being with the minority make you some kind of brave, awesome rebel fighting the Man.
As far as non-opinion-related opinions, I'm really beginning to wish that the kind of atheists who feel a need to (ahem) proselytize their position would realize that the kind of smug certainty and derision for the opposite point of view they frequently express looks virtually identical to the kind of smug certainty and derision for the opposite point of view that comes from in-your-face fundamentalist Christians, to those standing outside.
...All right, in addition to being something of a paradox within the context of this topic, that's not exactly true. We need people with unpopular opinions to speak their mind. But I really wish that people who do so would have something to back their opinions up, some commonly recognizable shred of proof or fact or reason, something to make them a decent proponent of their point of view rather than just one more doofus with an opinion. If you have a burning fire in your belly about, say, vaccinations all being part of a government program to reduce voter IQ, you might want to consider the possibility that that burning fire is just the tacos you ate for lunch. And go watch a video or something, rather than clicking "post".
Failing to rise above the "opinions are like a$$#@%&$" test, could we at least try to sound like reasonable, polite human beings who are actually listening to one another rather than the Internet equivalent of that guy who's just waiting for you to stop talking so he can ramble?
Being with the majority does not make you right; any student of history can tell you as much. But neither does being with the minority make you some kind of brave, awesome rebel fighting the Man.
As far as non-opinion-related opinions, I'm really beginning to wish that the kind of atheists who feel a need to (ahem) proselytize their position would realize that the kind of smug certainty and derision for the opposite point of view they frequently express looks virtually identical to the kind of smug certainty and derision for the opposite point of view that comes from in-your-face fundamentalist Christians, to those standing outside.
), but I don't think this country has ever taken a realistic look at the situation.
