Reminded of a pet peeve.
I was reminded this evening of an utterly deadly pet peeve of mine. When you find yourself in a debate - or even a friendly discussion, honestly - "It's just my opinion." is not a valid tactic. For some reason, a lot of people think that, as long as it's an opinion and as long as you claim ownership of said opinion, you are invulnerable to controversy.
That is not how it works.
An opinion is a belief about something. All beliefs have reasons for their existence. Traditionally, if you bring up a belief I do not agree with, I will either challenge your reason(s) for holding that belief or try to persuade you of the merits of the reasons behind the opposing belief. Some beliefs - particularly, philosophical or especially religious beliefs - require a great deal of arguing to get the point across, and simply saying, "I do not wish to discuss this matter at length" is a perfectly reasonable request. However, avoiding the discussion simply because we believe that personal opinions are sacred, unalterable parts of our being is ridiculous. I can say things like, "It's just my opinion, but I think all Christians are insane." Just because it's my opinion doesn't mean you can't - or shouldn't - try to persuade me otherwise. "I understand and respect your opinion" has a place in the everyday grease of our social lives, but it is allowed to pass as gospel much too often. There are ways to discuss or debate without arguing, and there are ways to argue without shouting, or indeed, getting angry.
I think it's precisely because we are so out of practice with arguing, that we avoid it so much. I only wish we could learn to separate the debate from the debater.
That is not how it works.
An opinion is a belief about something. All beliefs have reasons for their existence. Traditionally, if you bring up a belief I do not agree with, I will either challenge your reason(s) for holding that belief or try to persuade you of the merits of the reasons behind the opposing belief. Some beliefs - particularly, philosophical or especially religious beliefs - require a great deal of arguing to get the point across, and simply saying, "I do not wish to discuss this matter at length" is a perfectly reasonable request. However, avoiding the discussion simply because we believe that personal opinions are sacred, unalterable parts of our being is ridiculous. I can say things like, "It's just my opinion, but I think all Christians are insane." Just because it's my opinion doesn't mean you can't - or shouldn't - try to persuade me otherwise. "I understand and respect your opinion" has a place in the everyday grease of our social lives, but it is allowed to pass as gospel much too often. There are ways to discuss or debate without arguing, and there are ways to argue without shouting, or indeed, getting angry.
I think it's precisely because we are so out of practice with arguing, that we avoid it so much. I only wish we could learn to separate the debate from the debater.