Blogocentric Formulations

Day 16: Tolerating Other People's Opinions

*Written as part of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" 

Day 16 Prompt: Do you believe we should tolerate everyone's opinions no matter how misstated or misinformed they may be? How delicate are you when discussing your opinions with others? Make your case as logically as possible without emotion influencing you.

This is a tricky question because the way its phrased affects my opinion. If the question were, "Do you believe everyone has the right to express their opinion no matter how misstated or misinformed," my answer would be 'yes.' But since the question asks the question from the perspective of the audience, my answer is 'no,' we absolutely do not have to tolerate the opinions of others, depending on the opinion being expressed and the action being taken. While I think intolerance is a huge problem in this world, everyone has a limit of what they are willing and able to endure, and just as every person has a right to express their opinions, every member of an audience has a right to not tolerate that opinion by ignoring it, refuting it, walking away, etc.

Whenever moral questions like this arise, I always try to think of them in terms of extremes. When it comes to free speech, should you be able to express your opinion even if it's in the vast minority? Yes. When it comes to someone expressing an opinion that you find incredibly offensive and insulting, should you have to sit there and take it? Absolutely not. You still have to observe societal rules (you can't physically attack someone for expressing their opinion, for example), but you absolutely do not have to sit there and tolerate someone's opinion if you find it personally offensive or off-putting.

As far as expressing my own opinion, I always try to be as informed and non-confrontational as possible. I absolutely hate dealing with people who are both loudly opinionated and misinformed so I veer toward the other end of the spectrum, often erring on the side of saying nothing unless I've thought it out ahead of time and carefully chosen the words I want to use to express myself. I don't think you gain anything by being loud and obnoxious and misinformed - except maybe enemies! - so I try to make sure my opinions are logical and well-reasoned rather than coming from an emotional or half-baked place.