It's OK not to have an opinion in my opinion
Sunday, September 18, 2022 at 10:31AM
Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one. (Various)
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II stimulated a good deal of discussion around the value of the monarchy to the UK. It seems that a requirement of CommonWealth citizenship is that one must be fervently supportive or actively dismissive of having a royal head of state. (I think England had a similar situation around the time of the first King Charles.)
And I don’t have an opinion about it one way or the other whether Great Britain needs royalty. Nor do I intend to form one. Why?
- I don’t have a horse in this race.
- I recognize the validity of multiple perspectives on the issue.
- I don’t have enough information to make an informed decision.
- I have better things to learn and think about.
Social media, it seems, demands that everyone form an opinion about everything. That political Facebook post, that knee-jerk Tweet, that latest Instagram rumor, all are just begging for a response. No matter how ill-informed or ill-advised.
Next time you feel the urge to express an opinion, ask yourself if you would be willing to write a 1000 word essay that justifies your stance, including how the topic actually impacts you and the research you have done to make sure your views are supported by fact. If not, keep your opinion to yourself.
Thank you for contributing to a more rational world. It’s OK not to have an opinion
Reader Comments (3)
Yes, this! That’s one of the reasons I barely post on social media anymore. There are plenty I agree with who can say it more clearly than I. And I rarely have some special insight worth sharing.
Hi Jim,
Too often replies are more an attempt at appearing clever than adding insight into an issue. (Guilty of it myself.)
Doug
Restraint is an undervalued trait. Not everything needs to be said aloud.