The first definition of the word opinion is, "A view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge." Okay? Are we agreed? Following are some examples of opinions:
1. Anchovy pizza is the best kind.
2. Anchovy pizza is gross.
3. Yellow is the safest color for fire engines.
4. Red is the safest color for fire engines.
5. Playing violent video games eventually harms children.
6. Violent video games do not lead to violent behavior in adults.
7. Smoking marijuana is no big deal.
8. Marijuana is a gateway drug leading to more dangerous drugs.
9. Abortion is a medical procedure that is personal to the mother.
10. Abortion is murder and thus impacts all of society.
11. Dogs are more loyal than cats.
12. Cats are more loyal than dogs.
13. The Godfather is the best movie in the trilogy.
14. The Godfather, Part II is the best movie in the trilogy.
All of the above opinions are held by many people, and none of them cause any trouble except for #9 and #10, which for some reason have divided America into two dangerously warring camps. Nevertheless, many, if not most, of the people who hold either of these opinions are convinced they are 100% right! (Like an opinion can be right or wrong!)
Several examples of this bizarre trend come to mind. First, about a year ago an old, now former, friend of mine named Janice M.P., who I had worked with for years and liked very much and enjoyed good times with, told me online that she was quite concerned because I had written publicly that I loved George W. Bush. "Andrea, I am becoming very worried about you," she wrote in a private message (which I am now making public because who the hell cares; I haven't spoken with her since). As if voting Republican and/or thinking Bush was a great guy was a clear indication of declining mental health.
The second example can be found in today's New York Times Magazine, in the column entitled "The Ethicist." A letter to the columnist from a reader expresses worry about someone she likes and respects but who thinks abortion is murder, saying, "I struggle with having a friend who supports what I think is a restriction of my rights to make my own choices about my body. Is it OK if people do not want to be friends with someone who has views like hers?" The columnist -- who let's remember gets a paycheck from the Times -- concludes, after much wordy bullshit, that it's okay to be her friend, even though the friend is mistaken about abortion, a position held, he adds, often incoherently by many.
Uh-oh, are opinions contagious? Like is having a friend who voted for a Republican the same as getting exposed to Covid? Is consorting with someone who sees things a little differently a death wish or just a source of discomfort? (As one friend, now downgraded to an acquaintance, told me a few months ago, "I don't like the way you think.") If this is true and becoming truer in our society, then seriously Scotty, "Beam me up."
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