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

[despina.livejournal.com]

Just discouraging someone from saying it will either make them defensive, feel like you're saying they aren't entitled to their opinions (which yes, but they won't take it how you mean it unless you get very lucky), and so express their opinions even louder or, well. I dunno but it's unlikely to encourage more critical thinking.

I am lucky because in my professional and home life I am able to forbid that sort of lazy non-argument (well, in my presence at least, and dear me I am sounding a bit dictatorial. I suppose big fat hippies do end up enforcing their views; "you WILL be tolerant and thoughtful". Well this one does). Ultimately it's a meaningless statement. It's like saying "I am willfully ignorant", and willful ignorance is something I cannot stand.

However out in the world I feel there has to be an encouragement to critical thinking rather than a discouragement from entitlement, it needs to be a productive discussion and few people are up for that. In practise I either risk offending people by being 'patronising' or whatever or just leave it unless their opinion is based on an error of fact.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Right, so you're saying that the less people say it the happier you are, but you wouldn't actively try to discourage them because it stands a good chance of just making things worse. That makes sense - it's really the former I'm asking about rather than the latter.

[despina.livejournal.com]

I'd do some discouraging - well, some discussing about why it's not a meaningful statement etc - in the right circumstances. The phrase makes me wince. I'd rather people didn't think it ;)