Opinion

Editorial

Respectfully disagreeing

Posted on March 31, 2003, at 12:00 a.m.

It seems that recently people have overstepped the bounds of respectfully sharing their opinions. The assumption is creeping onto campus that people with opinions different than our own are flat out wrong, and that is simply ridiculous. FirstClass conference folders are becoming forums for this kind of thought.

Recently people have enjoyed making statements that are damaging to a person’s character and have no relevance to the situations at hand. Telling a person that they suck because they don’t agree with your opinion does not make you appear more intelligent.

Some people try to silence an opponent by telling them to “shut up.” More often than not, individuals will pathetically resort to making fun of spelling errors or grammar mistakes in a statement.

A quick glance at the Politics discussion folder on FirstClass gives an idea of what we’re talking about. One student states his or her opinion and, instead of intelligently rebutting the post, other students will begin to personally attack the student.

A few replies to one opinion were, “Do you guys really believe the sh*t you’re spouting?” and “That’s foolish.”

Another common tactic is to tell someone with a dissenting opinion that they are ignorant, stupid or sheltered.

We are losing the ability to politely and meaningfully debate on subjects that everyone doesn’t always agree on. As an institution of higher education, we’d all like to believe that different opinions could be valued for their diversity.

If someone holds an opinion differing from yours, feel free to target the person’s opinion, but don’t attack the person or resort to tearing apart the person’s spelling and grammar.

Every single person on this campus is entitled to hold his or her own opinion and should be able to voice that opinion without the worry of being personally attacked for their point of view.

Finally, if you don’t agree with this editorial, you suck.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 31st, 2003, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.