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Are your opinions your own?

lahalane

Too often I have tackled someone on their view about something to find that they actually dont really know what theyre talking about. Examples being Oasis lyrics are rubbish, Clint Eastwood is a **** actor and Pele was better than Maradona or vice versa.

I accept that people have differing opinions than my own but surely they need to have a valid reason for it instead of blindly giving one just for the sake of having an opinion. You dont need to have an opinion on everything. Id feel stupid discussing something if I didnt know anything about it.

Does anyone else encounter these people who have an opinion on something that they recited from someone else and actually know nothing about? What are some of the lazy opinions that you hear offered frequently that you know would crumble to nothing if you attempted to debate it.

Ive often heard people say that Brian Cowen ruined the country and when I, genuinely, question them as to why, so I can at least know what he did, I am never given a proper answer. Just mumblings about the recession, being drunk on radio, being from Offaly and looking like a dope. Im no wiser to the whole thing at all.

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lahalane

Carlos Roca wrote: »

How can taking a stance on these issues be anything but a dearly held opinion?

One of the people who I challenged on why Clint Eastwood was a **** actor admitted never having watched one of his films but hated westerns so his misguided opinion was born.

Not sure how many westerns he had watched either so his hatred towards them is probably spurious too.

Mint Aero

lahalane wrote: »

Ive often heard people say that Brian Cowen ruined the country and when I, genuinely, question them as to why, so I can at least know what he did, I am never given a proper answer. Just mumblings about the recession, being drunk on radio, being from Offaly and looking like a dope. Im no wiser to the whole thing at all.

Are you for real?

He was Minister for Finance during the boom, then derailed the country completely during his tyranny as taoiseach whist lying to the country about the situation, 'nuff said.

He didn't act alone though if that's what you mean but he is greatly responsible amigo.

lahalane

Mint Aero wrote: »

Are you for real?

He was Minister for Finance during the boom, then derailed the country completely during his tyranny as taoiseach whist lying to the country about the situation, 'nuff said.

He didn't act alone though if that's what you mean but he is greatly responsible amigo.

I wasnt standing up for him or anything, I just genuinely hadnt a notion what was going on and why he was being blamed. I dont follow politics that much. Now I know a little more

iwantmydinner

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately, on close examination I came to realise that I held a lot of opinions for no real or valid reason, i'd say everybody does. We "feel" a certain way about something but don't always do the homework required to know if we're right to feel that way. We reckon it feels right, therefore it must be right - but that's just not the case.
I've actually signed up for an online course in rational thinking to help remedy the situation!

This! Yes!

I've become aware that I often let other people's opinions influence mine and the realisation dismayed me to no end. So now if I find that I 'feel' a certain way about something without much objective justification, I'll either keep my mouth shut on it or make it very clear that I'm still forming a proper opinion on whatever it is.

Agricola

This phenomenon is mostly down to ego and narcissism. The majority of people really NEED to impress others and have others believe they know their onions when it comes to any given subject. Speaking from a position of knowledge and authority gives you status. If you can't really do it for real, why not bluff, spoof and chance your arm, because you know most of the people you're talking to havent a féckin clue either.

Of course internet forums are this things spiritual home!

Mark Twain

My opinions are my own. I refuse to waiver to popular consensus.

Karl Stein

lahalane wrote: »

One of the people who I challenged on why Clint Eastwood was a **** actor admitted never having watched one of his films but hated westerns so his misguided opinion was born.

Clint Eastwood is a shit actor.

Friend Computer

Agricola wrote: »

This phenomenon is mostly down to ego and narcissism. The majority of people really NEED to impress others and have others believe they know their onions when it comes to any given subject. Speaking from a position of knowledge and authority gives you status. If you can't really do it for real, why not bluff, spoof and chance your arm, because you know most of the people you're talking to havent a féckin clue either.

Of course internet forums are this things spiritual home!

That and we live in an age where access to information--of varying degrees of veracity but that's a different discussion--is ubiquitous so there's pressure on people to at least pretend they know a lot. When you can just whip out a phone and look something up it's harder to justify ignorance.

lahalane

Carlos Roca wrote: »

Clint Eastwood is a shit actor.

Maybe but you must surely admire the sheer audacity of the man to try and succeed in making a 60 year career out of it then, yeah?

Agricola

Friend Computer wrote: »

That and we live in an age where access to information--of varying degrees of veracity but that's a different discussion--is ubiquitous so there's pressure on people to at least pretend they know a lot. When you can just whip out a phone and look something up it's harder to justify ignorance.

Yeah and of course the media is feeding it with the whole social media aspect of everything now. Everything has to have an "involve the viewer/reader/listener" angle. Radio stations devote almost as much time reading tweets and emails as they do playing ads. Comments sections below articles and videos are ubiquitous. Everything revolves around the crucial matter of the ordinary pleb's opinion. So you can't blame people for becoming more and more outspoken. Much of it drives me mad. When Im listening or watching a debate between a bunch of people who are qualified to actually participate in the debate, I do not want to know what Mary from Ballydehob thinks about it.

5p9arw38djv2b4

mutley18 wrote: »

Everyone jumps on the Ryanair are cúnts bandwagon, (in fairness they are from experience) but people who have never flown with them will still hop on the bandwagon.

But it's sooo cheap - environmental concerns aside I quite like Ryanair, fly with them regularly as it's affordable, and they are honest about treating customers like cattle so it's not like I'm expecting Ethiad. My opinion is based on my experience and reading about their business model plus hearing people's experienced - so I do think your opinion can be influenced but it's still your own, the difference is having an opinion or having an informed opinion. I think it's probably human nature to form opinions but lack of interest/ laziness means people adopt someone else's opinion as their own sometimes (or parrot the media - let's blame mass media!)

Maximus Alexander

LadyLabyrinth wrote: »

it's not like I'm expecting Ethiad.

I flew back from Australia with Etihad on Christmas Day last year. We were joking about how amazing it would be to get bumped up to business class and then... it happened! Divine is not the word.

On an unrelated note, I hate Ryanair.

Lingua Franca

There's a lot of things I hold no opinion on and will admit it if asked about the subject. People think it's weirder when you say that you have no opinion than when you hold a contrary one... in my opinion.

Lingua Franca

Carlos Roca wrote: »

Clint Eastwood is a shit actor.

How so? Can you expand on this?

5p9arw38djv2b4

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

I flew back from Australia with Etihad on Christmas Day last year. We were joking about how amazing it would be to get bumped up to business class and then... it happened! Divine is not the word.

On an unrelated note, I hate Ryanair.

Aw wow. I NEVER get bumped when I fly, no matter the airline. Someday I will stop being cheapskate and fly Ethiad, or at least Cathay. On a BA flight from states last year boss was in business and asked them to bump me (I could see her) and they came and bumped girl beside me - I nearly cried. The joy of flying Ryanair once a month is when I fly with anyone else it's luxury as I have very low expectations - on Air France flight last week and there was free drinks and snacks and it blew my mind!!

Maximus Alexander

LadyLabyrinth wrote: »

Aw wow. I NEVER get bumped when I fly, no matter the airline. Someday I will stop being cheapskate and fly Ethiad, or at least Cathay. On a BA flight from states last year boss was in business and asked them to bump me (I could see her) and they came and bumped girl beside me - I nearly cried. The joy of flying Ryanair once a month is when I fly with anyone else it's luxury as I have very low expectations - on Air France flight last week and there was free drinks and snacks and it blew my mind!!

Yeah we really couldn't believe it. It's never happened us before and probably never will again, but it certainly made up for having to take a long haul flight on Christmas day!

We also took an internal flight in Thailand which was just a local airline, but the leg room was huge and they gave out free drinks and snacks like on your Air France flight. It's like a different world when you are used to low fares airlines!

Femme_Fatale

Opinions with "Typical Irish begrudgery", "Liberal"/"Leftie" as a perjorative, "PC brigade", likening Ireland to a third world country, extreme anti religion/anti atheist stuff, "the government are a shower of bastards just because they are the government"... all that generic shyte you find here (from both the Right and the Left) these might be the person's own opinion, but they involve little to no thought.

Karl Stein

lahalane wrote: »

Maybe but you must surely admire the sheer audacity of the man to try and succeed in making a 60 year career out of it then, yeah?

No.

Lingua Franca wrote: »

How so? Can you expand on this?

He plays a version of himself in every stupid filum he appears in. He's a shit actor. He acts in Clint Eastwood movies.

Lingua Franca

See, I'm not a fan of his either. I don't like cowboy movies. But then he's been incredibly successful his whole career and has won a ton of accolades from his peers. I liked Mystic River. I have no opinion on Clint Eastwood.

lahalane

Carlos Roca wrote: »

He plays a version of himself in every stupid filum he appears in. He's a shit actor. He acts in Clint Eastwood movies.

He doesn't appear to be very versatile. Whether that can be enough to label him a bad actor though is questionable. It just means that he can't be considered for the title of 'Best ever actor'. The great actors have played different characters and mastered each one but it doesn't mean you are a bad actor if you haven't achieved this. Maybe if he tried and failed you could say that but he hasn't.

Also, I'm sure that the directors demanded of Clint that he play the character as was specified on the script. If he had played Frankie Dunn as a goofball, comedic character, then I would find it easier to call him a bad actor.

poundapunnet

lahalane wrote: »

One of the people who I challenged on why Clint Eastwood was a **** actor admitted never having watched one of his films but hated westerns so his misguided opinion was born.

Not sure how many westerns he had watched either so his hatred towards them is probably spurious too.

I was trying to find something to watch with a friend one time and suggested Double Indemnity or something and he said he didn't like black and white movies. Not "old movies", not "film noirs" but ALL black and white movies. And I asked him why and he said "coz they're ****e" :eek:

I think my opinions are largely my own, but I'm definitely guilty of going off trying to find evidence to back up my points rather than making points based on the evidence, especially in the heat of the argument. I really hate when people think they deserve some kind of medal for having contrary and factually wrong opinions though. You're not some kind of free thinker purely on the basis of having a minority opinion like, especially if you're talking out your bigoted stupid hole.