It seems like it's become sacrilege to challenge anyone's opinion over anything anymore. We're all expected to respect everyone's opinions out of fear of offending them, no matter how stupid and ignorant their opinions appear to you.
This is just one example, but after watching the movie Crash in my TOK class, a girl spoke up and said, "I hated that movie!!" I inquired as to why, and she responded with, "because of all the swearing and racism." My response was, "Well, that's the point. It was all there for a reason." Instead of bothering to defend her position, she just resorted to "it's an opinionnnnn! It's an opinionnnnnnnnnnn!"
I wasn't confrontational. I wasn't off-putting. I was actually really calm, and it's a class where you're supposed to debate topics. The whole reason we even watched the movie was to discuss it.
Of course, that's just one example. I'm sure we've all heard (and maybe used) "That's YOUR opinion!!!," I have the right to my opinion!," "It's all subjective! There's no point in debating it because we'll never reach an agreement!"
I don't get it. What's the point of believing in or taking a stance on anything if the most you'll defend it with is that it's your opinion? Isn't there a reason you believe it? Can't you articulate it?
Obviously, not everything needs to be scrutinized, and it's best to choose your "battles" wisely. But when you feel outsmarted, it's best to just be mature and admit it. "I have the right to my opinion" translates to, "My opinion is agonizingly ignorant, but I have the right to it, and you can't question it at all," at least to me. It just seems like a double-edged sword.
Facts can't be argued over because they're well-established facts that are provable over and over again (usually). But I'm not allowed to debate a subjective topic because there will be different viewpoints? That just sounds silly to me. This political correctness crap is abundant.
I'm not starting this thread looking for a fight, simply a discussion. What do you all think?