There are some shocking studies that you’ve always held to be true at the back of your mind, but were afraid to express because you’d be accused of generalizing things. Well, as it is, a new study shows that not everyone is entitled to an opinion.
“On topics from evolution to the environment to gay marriage to immigration reform, we found that many of the opinions expressed were so off-base and ill-informed that they actually hurt society by being voiced,” said chief researcher Professor Mark Fultz, who based the findings on hundreds of telephone, office, and dinner-party conversations compiled over a three-year period. “While people have long asserted that it takes all kinds, our research shows that American society currently has a drastic oversupply of the kinds who don’t have any good or worthwhile thoughts whatsoever. We could actually do just fine without them.”
Well, that’s Fultz’s opinion anyhoo, and he probably counts as one of the 62% whose opinion counts. Does it mean anything as well if my source is taken from The Onion? The study shows that 38% of people in the US have opinions “that actually don’t matter.”
I wonder how much can be quantified locally with people talking about things they seem to not have a full grasp on? When we write, do we write with authority?
There are no innuendos to my posting this – it’s just something worth looking into. But then again, that’s just my opinion 🙂
3 replies on “Proven: Not everyone is entitled to their own opinion”
One thing’s for certain, and this goes back to the Bible, people should listen to reason, whether it be from the Devil or an angel.
Hmm… Well, I think he’s equating “harm to society” with “accuracy of opinion” here. I think it’s true that not every opinion can be said to have even a tangential relation to the truth – some have an antagonistic relation with it in fact. But just because an opinion is wrong and baseless does not necessarily mean society will be harmed by its airing. In fact, it can be helpful if such an erroneous opinion is aired, because it illuminates that a problem of knowledge or understanding exists, at least with that particular opinion giver.
To put it another way, if no one aired racist opinions, it wouldn’t stop racism from being a problem – it would just leave most people unaware as to its actual extent.
Well, at least Jayvee is proving he likes to read too. But one book based on one incomplete research doesn’t mean it’s premise has been proven.