wayneholt
Well-Known Forumite
The world we live in is forever changing. In the past 20 years, our technologies have developed past our wildest dreams. The internet has changed the way the world works forever. We can communicate with our families and friends anywhere in the world. We can find missing loved ones, research our history, purchase anything we desire, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Thanks to the internet we can share our views and opinions like never before. The question is, is all this too good to be true? Perhaps this free reign of expressing ourselves has somewhat disillusioned us into what an opinion actually is. Thanks to social networking sites, public forums and bloggers, the clear line of what was a constructive opinion compared to say a blatant slanderous remark has been distorted. The rise of cyber bullying which has tragically lead to suicide could be a result of this mindset the internet has potentially created. This is not to say that it is the internet’s fault, but more of the distorted perception we now have on expressing ourselves.
To understand this clearly, we are to look at the definition of what opinion is:-
• a view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge
• [mass noun] the beliefs or views of a group or majority of people
• an estimation of the quality or worth of someone or something
In lemans terms the opinions we express are not fact but a personal perspective on a subject matter. If we were to express fact then it would be a statement. Having explored social networking sites and other forum mediums, the expression of what is deemed an opinion is more actually swaying more towards slander. Certain websites glorify this behaviour (http://failbook.failblog.org) and in today’s world it is becoming more accepted. That’s not to say we should stop doing it, but maybe before we express our opinions, we should think. Is it constructive? Does it raise a point? Of course we will always find something or someone to be offended by, but responding in the same way causes more damage.
It will be easy to call someone a hypocrite when clashing opinions are met, to try and justify ones self, but in the grand scheme of things, we are all hypocrites. What ever one does or say can be deemed hypocritical by another because the view of the subject matter is opposite.
Opinions, used constructively are beautiful things. They can create debate, enlighten others, bring people together and when one has a certain view on a subject; they can potentially become more empathetic to others who share a different opinion thus creating a more understanding unit in discussion. It’s just knowing the fine line.
To understand this clearly, we are to look at the definition of what opinion is:-
• a view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge
• [mass noun] the beliefs or views of a group or majority of people
• an estimation of the quality or worth of someone or something
In lemans terms the opinions we express are not fact but a personal perspective on a subject matter. If we were to express fact then it would be a statement. Having explored social networking sites and other forum mediums, the expression of what is deemed an opinion is more actually swaying more towards slander. Certain websites glorify this behaviour (http://failbook.failblog.org) and in today’s world it is becoming more accepted. That’s not to say we should stop doing it, but maybe before we express our opinions, we should think. Is it constructive? Does it raise a point? Of course we will always find something or someone to be offended by, but responding in the same way causes more damage.
It will be easy to call someone a hypocrite when clashing opinions are met, to try and justify ones self, but in the grand scheme of things, we are all hypocrites. What ever one does or say can be deemed hypocritical by another because the view of the subject matter is opposite.
Opinions, used constructively are beautiful things. They can create debate, enlighten others, bring people together and when one has a certain view on a subject; they can potentially become more empathetic to others who share a different opinion thus creating a more understanding unit in discussion. It’s just knowing the fine line.