You are not entitled to your opinion

[ciphergoth]

• You Are Never Entitled to Your Opinion
  
• Sorry, but you are not entitled to your opinion
  
• Why You Are Not Entitled To Your Opinion

You are, I think, entitled to the right to hold and express any opinion without being shut down by the State for doing so; that is where the entitlement ends.

[Poll #1410915]
(edit: removed Harlan Ellison quote, which doesn't really express what I'm getting at here)

Comments

Brain cogs going...

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

Fecking LJ comment system. Note to self; write it all in notepad first in future. Bah.

I hadn't any strong thoughts on this ("live and let live" and all that malarky) until I discussed this with a friend and the distinction between this led to the implications of the word "entitled" as a legal phrase.

The issue being the difference between common and Napoleonic (I think it's that) law; the former lists what you are ~not~ allowed to do and the latter lists what you ~are~ allowed to do. In stating you are "entitled" to something it implies that unless you are specifically allowed to do it - you can't; whereas with common law everything is fair game unless it's been outlawed.

I'm all for hearing opinions of people, but if said opinion is libelous or incorrect (Remember PI == 3? ah fun...) then you may be able to believe in it, think it, but express it and you could be in a whole heap of trouble.

Plus it's a bit of a cop out.

Mind you I'm still mulling this one over!