We hear a lot of people today vehemently declaring, “I have a right to my opinion!!!!” And you know what? They are absolutely correct. But what if that opinion is wrong?
Opinions fall into at least two categories.
One is that of totally harmless. There are many like this. For example, in my opinion there are certain movies that are good enjoyment. Objectively speaking they may be very poorly made movies. They may be movies that, in the opinion of most people, they are not worth watching. My having a different opinion is hurting no one. There are many other examples I could cite to make this point but I think you get the idea.
If we are choosing to believe faulty information then, we will form faulty opinions.
Before I speak of the other category of opinions I would like to say something about opinions. While we all have a right to our opinion, not all opinions are right. What criteria are we using to form our opinions? If we are choosing to believe faulty information then, we will form faulty opinions. If these opinions are ones that affect how we act toward other people, then faulty opinions can be a problem.
This leads me to another category of opinions – those that lead to harm. Any opinion that causes you to think it is okay to look down upon, mistreat, or deny the same rights you want for yourself to others who do not belong to your group is wrong.
Let me get a bit more specific here. If your opinion tells you that Treyvon Martin’s murder was justifiable while Kyle Rittenhouse should have been acquitted, then your opinion is a destructive, racist opinion that needs to be exposed as such.
At this point there may be those of you reading this who are saying that I must be a liberal snowflake. If you want to label me as such because I believe the American ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are deserved by all equally, then you go right ahead and place that label on me. I grew up and spent most of my life as a right wing, or, at least, a right leaning conservative. But I finally decided to listen to the cries of people of color and those of the LGBTQ+ community with open ears, heart, and mind. When I did this I had to change my long held opinions because they were based upon outdated data, fear, faulty premises, lies, and hate-inspired bullshit. The new opinions that I have formed based upon more reliable data and objective observations may cost me relationships with friends and family. So be it. This is a hill I am literally willing to die upon.
Yes, we all have a right to our own opinion. But we must render hate-filled harmful opinions impotent. What are you basing your opinions on?
Think about it.
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