The ProbLeM wItH YoUR OpINiOn
Right away, I will guess that a whole bunch of you have issues with the presentation of this headline. How dare I mix caps with lower case, in such a random and unsightly way…
Is it enough to piss you off? To the point where you won’t even read what I have to say?
If you’re still here, it’s a good sign. Or is it?
Everyone has their trigger. Some of you will continue to read because I’ve sparked your curiosity. Some will read on because you’re actually a fan of what I have to write about (even if you don’t always agree with my point of view) and you had 6 minutes to kill. Then there are those of you who are ready for the fight, ready to see what nonsense I write about today so you can send a message to let me know just how wrong I am.
Truth be known, I enjoy the latter the most. It’s not that I enjoy being berated so much as I appreciate someone taking the time to engage and share their differing point of view. On occasion, the passion put forth has been enough to warrant further investigation on my part. Sometimes, we miss the finer details and we’re less for it.
So here goes.
Your opinion means shit. I only say this because an opinion means nothing if you’re not open enough to receive another. An opinion without conversation is self talk. It does nothing to further humanity and in fact, all signs indicate that there is a potential danger in holding on to your opinion as if it is the last, and final word.
What drives your opinion? Are you self-aware enough to understand the question? What I mean is; how do you assemble all of your information in order to come to the opinion(s) you hold so strongly?
Is it social media? Mainstream news? Conversations around the water cooler? Your favorite social justice warrior? Talk radio? Family? Religious community?
Being an atheist, I have to discount the last one as a source but unless you answered all of the above, you haven’t done enough to earn your publicly declared opinion. I’m calling you out. Yes, you. Now, if you never share your opinion in the hopes of swaying those closest to you, it’s ok. That means I really don’t know what you think or feel about the issues we face in today’s world. Perhaps that’s for another blog…
You. Yes, you that always presents your biased and myopic viewpoint for the world to agree with. Yes, you that isn’t interested in conversation unless it specifically supports your assertions on everything from politics, religion, consumerism, taxation to the more fringe items like vaccines and drug reform.
If we can’t talk about shit, we’ll never be able to move forward. We’ll just stay in this spinning Hamster cage wheel, content with running and running without moving anywhere. I don’t want to agree with you. That’s my charm. It’s not that I simply want to be contrary — it’s that I believe we don’t always get it right when following ideas that match our own cognitive bias.
Take me for instance. I’m almost always on the other side of “right.” How do I know this? Usually it’s the amount of vitriol and anger being directed my way. As a rule, the level of anger is not balanced. It doesn’t come from a place of knowledge but rather from a place of talking points — usually instigated by a media that is driven by profitability. This causes a dangerous volatility in the quest for truth- especially when truth and good will doesn’t generate the interest (dollar bills) that a mass murder does.
You’ll never hear a social justice warrior proclaim how amazing (insert name here) was when they hugged (insert name here) just because they were different and the world needs more of this...
It’s not that compelling.
Not that people don’t like a good cry over a happy moment. This is what cute animal videos were created for. Still the number one viewed content on social media versus any other medium. Why is that?
This author speculates that it’s more enjoyable to watch a goat bouncing around in a field than a politician telling a story that has truth or lies in it requiring more than 30 seconds to consume.
That’s why the mainstream news is so good at what they do. It’s a 10 second sound byte or a tiny, teeny headline designed to trigger an emotional, knee jerk reaction. No further reading required.
The mainstream media loves Donny J Trump for this very reason. They can capture all kinds of tasty little sound bytes without every worrying about context. Days and days of content from someone, who while incredibly flawed, especially for a head of state, also seems to exhibit some truly real and incredibly flawed human characteristics. I often think about my daily travels and how many people I come across that have similar personality traits…the little off the cuff racial remarks, the hurtful yet seemingly innocent insults directed at someone not able to defend themselves, the rudeness, the selfishness and so on.
At the core, we always try to see past these things — to see into the heart of those closest to us who maybe aren’t the best of character. If we surrounded ourselves with people who were flawless, our circle would probably get really small and with it, a little less interesting.
I’m not sure we’re always getting it right. But I’ll tell you what — if I have an opinion to share, it won’t ever be based on a 10 second sound byte. I hope I never get that lazy.
Most of you are wrong about Trump. Maybe not entirely but in your quest to find an enemy, you’re missing some really key facts about a person that really is trying to make “merica great again.” I can admit his techniques aren’t ideal and optics are bad on the way he handles policies that were created long before he took office. What I do know is this: He isn’t responsible for most of what he’s being blamed for. His power has limitations and if you understood the American political process — you would know that what I’m saying is true.
Do I have misgivings about the man? Absolutely. It’s disheartening that he continues to support what I can only call the evil regime under Netanyahu. I find it distasteful that he continues this action against Syria. It’s upsetting to me that Saudi continues to be a partner to not only the US but my people here in Canada when their human rights violations are on par with Israel. Do I wish he had more executive power that would allow him to stop the imprisonment of children at the border? In a perfect world but let’s be realistic about what the Democratic government does at every turn to thwart his attempts at policy change. (just sitting here wondering how many people nodded off on this paragraph)
The biggest threat we face today isn’t one person or the many people that make up government. It’s time to recognize that the biggest threat to our security, our freedom and peace is the mainstream media — the CNN, the Fox, the NBC and all of the affiliates worldwide that run on an agenda contrary to the wishes and desires of humanity.
There’s a clear and transparent money trail. One only has to look because they don’t try to hide it. When you have a handful of people dictating trends and forcing their opinions as truth to close to 7 billion people— you have a recipe for unprecedented turmoil and suffering.
If you’ve read this far, I thank you. If you disagree with me, I thank you for that as well. I’m not looking for compliance or acceptance. I would be happy with a simple…conversation.
P.S. When replying to me, please use this word — rumplestilsken so that I know you actually made it to the end and aren’t cherry picking for the sake of an argument. ;)
