After reading nearly 50 pages of a book written by a "reformed liberal", I got so mad, I had to quit. (title and author to remain nameless)
This right-wing extremist was spouting out opinions as if they were facts ("liberals are lazy" (as in work ethic)). I got to thinking about the things he was espousing, and jotted down several "opinions" that are often accepted as facts (some his).
Such as:
Astrology has merit.
Unions are bad for the economy.
Homosexuality can be cured.
Poverty is inevitable.
The Bible is infallible.
Rap (music) is cool.
College is necessary to make more money.
This is a racist country.
Nuclear weapons are a necessary evil.
Drinking a glass of wine is good for you.
It's good to aid foreign countries with money, weapons, peace corp volunteers, etc. (altruism)
It was best for the American Indian to be subjucated.
Republicans are idealogically mistaken.
It is kindness to give a few dollars to a begger. (What if he spends it on alcohol?)
Guns don't kill people. People kill people.
We were founded as a Christian nation (and still are).
Life begins at conception.
The earth is getting warmer.
Increased U.S. oil drilling is good for America.
Man cannot live without religion.
It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.
Wealth should be shared.
All men are created equal.
I could continue with an inexhaustable list. It could be simply doubled by a "negative" (Ex: "All men are NOT created equal). Sometimes it's difficult to differentiate between fact and opinion. Many of the statements above fall in a gray zone.
Not only is it hard to separate fact from opinion, but it's a question of right vs. wrong. Is slavery wrong? Today it is, "yesterday" it wasn't--at least not to southerners.
Debates over a plethora of issues have raged for centuries. Politics, religion, social, culture, environmental, and so forth--two or more sides fighting it out--good vs. evil. Here's the rub. Does one fight for his beliefs (opinions), such as "protesting" (OWS)? Or does one silently sit on the sidelines without expressing an opinion one way or another? Do you have an opinion?