In The Opinion Of

You know what we have too much of today? Opinions! I think we have become a world of experts because every citizen seems to have a fixed opinion about every issue. The trouble is, the collective opinion is usually wrong when it extends beyond those things that are our fixed moral absolutes (Golden Rule, Ten Commandments etc.).

If you had everyone in a nation vote on every issue that comes before it that country would be a mess, because the opinion voters decided to legislate would most often not be correct. Of course I am only referring to incorrectness in YOUR opinions and THEIR opinion. Mine is always right...you already know that so let's leave that aspect of opinions alone.

Since opinions come from a person's beliefs ("But it says so in the Bible."), perspectives ("Where I come from we don't believe that."), understanding (It's too complicated but Opray says it's true.." and desires ("I hope and have faith that it's right") there is plenty of room for inaccuracy. Most people are not logical when making a decision that calls for logic. That's a major reason that an opinion might be factually wrong.

Of course the leaders people elect or those leaders who are dictators are supposed to make decisions for their constituency based on reason. Instead, they lie and manipulate and even create false opinions among the masses in order to benefit themselves. Look at the Muslim population of Pakistan, for instance, and you can see substantial numbers of them have bad opinions based on prevarication by their local Imans.

Public opinion is nothing more than the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the population, and that is very easy to influence or control (see Nazi Germany for widely held horrific opinions). And there are many other kinds of opinions apart from an individual's control, those that "they believe" that "I must accept" since "they" are the majority. In fact, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.

One example of opinion that is hard to judge is "scientific opinion". The formerly precise and more accurate opinion methodology of scientific opinion has been contaminated by the modern political correctness notion. Scientists now often hold opinions not based on the scientific method but on what others want to hear ("If I support what the government wants it will give me a big research grant,"). Scientific opinions arrive and mutate all the time now. I don't trust most of them.

One kind of opinion that I like is the newspaper editorial opinion. It is well thought-out and the giver does not claim to be infallible or even right, just stating a perspective that makes the reader think for him or herself. I think editorial opinions are the best kind because they are not dogmatic and require the person to read the entire side before commenting.

The major kind of opinion we hold is that of the personal opinion. (Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair.) Those are the worst kind and least accurate of opinion. If you need evidence just read the endless blogs on line or read any of my stupid opinions I have sent to you here. Hmmmm everyone is entitled to my opinion.

As bad as collective opinion is, personal opinion is worse because it is very hard to change, even when faulty or wrong. Most of the time I don't listen too carefully or too long to a personal opinion. It's usually just a rearrangement of the speaker's prejudices, not real factual content. I hate to quote the bumbling ex president George Bush but what he said makes some sense..."I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree with them

I suppose you have an opinion about all this...but I really don't need to hear it.