Opinions are like buttholes

We all disagree with each other on something, we are all individuals and hold individual views and opinions on various subject whether it be sports, or your favourite flavour of ice cream are all going to differ at some point. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who holds all of the exact same views that I have, we might get close but eventually we find something we disagree on.

I am an avid Celtic fan; my best mate is a Rangers fan and for anyone who knows anything about Scottish football that’s going to inevitably lead to some interesting debates and discussions that sometimes get a little heated. I don’t think less of the guy, I respect that he can tolerate supporting a team that fell so hard and so fast, I respect that he endures the ripping he has to take for his chosen team when sitting in a bar watching a game and his is the only blue shirt in a sea of green and white. He basically has a different opinion from mine and at the end of the day although I might disagree, I can cite a whole bunch of reasons why Celtic are a better team I respect that he supports a different team.

It’s the same with loads of issues, I hate going for Chinese food because I love Indian, but my good lady is the exact opposite, so we just have to work with that. Happens at work, I might not like doing something one way, yet another will swear down it’s the best way to do it. I love Star Wars I know someone who hates it but thinks that the sun shines out of Captain Kirks behind. Now I am sure that if you are reading this the above will resonate with you in some way, when you look at just about everyone in your life, I am sure that some of them might hold opinions and views that are a little different to your own but you just kind of get one with it.

That is unless its politics.

It seems when it comes to politics this ability to respectfully disagree with another’s opinion on any given issue goes right out the window. “ohhh you mean you didn’t vote for Brexit…scum” … “what’s that? You don’t quite hate trump as much as me…racist” or really any issue you want to take it seems like we all of a sudden become very high and mighty about our own opinions. The arrogance of this is astounding, how many times to you read something like “well if you’re not left/right you must be an idiot” …ehh what? So, if I don’t agree with your opinion, I must be an idiot, it couldn’t possibly be that I just hold a different opinion that’s just as well founded as your own. This happens all the time on all sides of the political divide in just about any political discussion.

It seems like we have lost the ability to respectfully disagree, we don’t say well I disagree with you on this because x,y and z. We don’t just simply acknowledge that a difference of opinion is just that a difference of opinion it’s not about right and wrong because our opinions are so subjective.

Speaking of which, that brings me on to another interesting aspect of opinions when discussing politics. How often do you see an opinion being articulated in such a way as to suggest that it’s not a fact but an opinion? Stuff along the lines of “Trump has the best/worst track record with women…” it’s an opinion not a fact. Now sure you can support an opinion with facts, you can refute or challenge the opinion of another based on facts, but you cannot pretend that your opinion is a fact. For example, I am of the opinion that the Star Wars franchise is the best movie franchise there is, now from there I could start citing facts about how it has generated the most cash, the awards it has won and its influence on modern cinema. It’s still an opinion though just like a someone else might actually say that the marvel, DC, star-trek or twilight (although why I don’t know) is actually the best. Doesn’t make either of us wrong just that we have different opinions and weigh up the facts a bit differently.

Politics is no different, I might not share your politics, you might not share my politics but it’s not because either one of us is a blabbering idiot, it’s not because one of us is right and one of us is wrong so let’s all see who can shout the loudest its simply because we have different opinions. It’s just because we have different opinions, probably as a result of having different experiences and personal values and various issues impacting us in a different way.

Don’t get me wrong I know that there are some people out there who have pretty stupid opinions that most of us might agree with. Like my mate being a mad Rangers fan (why? What the hell is wrong with him?) but at the end of the day for me I fundamentally belief that to be civilised we should respect all opinions and views, sure we can challenge the ones we don’t like, we can debate them and even expose them as being socially unacceptable and founded in ignorance.

But opinions are like bumholes, we all have one. We all like to have our opinions validated and we all get a bit upset when our opinions and views are challenged (really don't like when my bumhole is challenged, this was a awful analogy) but I think the real challenge is showing respect for different opinions.

#respectbumholes.

a reply to: OtherSideOfTheCoin

And yours is exceptionally noxious.

a reply to: OtherSideOfTheCoin

Yeah, but some bumholes have something behind them to back up their inane spew.

Some? Just sit and pucker.

Seriously...

Politics is ruining respect for others views.

We need to give it a rest and reconnect.

We used to win hearts and minds with deeds.

Now people think screaming and violence win the day.

Sad

a reply to: OtherSideOfTheCoin

Absolutely agree. The sad thing is that some people distort opinions into facts or refuse to consider the difference, because in their mind they are right and you are wrong. Even worse, they will consider anyone who doesn't see the world as they do as sub-human/immoral/retarded/insert-whatever-hate-group-suits-your-purpose.

What has happened to respectful disagreement? Why can we no longer agree to differ?

a reply to: OtherSideOfTheCoin

That is unless its politics. It seems when it comes to politics this ability to respectfully disagree with another’s opinion on any given issue goes right out the window. “ohhh you mean you didn’t vote for Brexit…scum” … “what’s that? You don’t quite hate trump as much as me…racist” or really any issue you want to take it seems like we all of a sudden become very high and mighty about our own opinions.

I’d say the biggest factor in stoking political outrage is how the current administration gaslights people as a general rule.

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, and sanity. Using persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction, and lying, it attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim's belief.[1][2]

en.m.wikipedia.org...

The psychological effect this has on people is well known. And knowing this, it’s easy to see it played out in real time. Doing this to people actually stirs up the crazy, so it isn’t surprising that an administration like the current one counts on it.

This is their path to power, so it isn’t going to end. It’s only going to get worse until this type of thing is rebuked by everyone.

This is what happens when reasonable debate is given less and less credence in the civilized world. Now mobs, pressure groups, and the politically correct parade around policing speech with threats of banishment and ostracization. It has given way to censorship, group-think, and in some cases, violence.

If opinions are like buttholes...ATS is like a toilet.

a reply to: underwerks

I’d say the biggest factor in stoking political outrage is how the current administration gaslights people as a general rule.

The media's gaslighting and astroturfing has far more reach and effect.

For instance, a quarter of young students exhibited PTSD symptoms because Trump got elected source. They legitimately feared him taking power, which is understandable because the press compared him to Hitler, blamed him for global warming, said the economy was going to crash, and that we're headed into fascism. It turned out to be untrue, of course.

The Whitehouse's propaganda is tame by even the previous administration's standards.

a reply to: OtherSideOfTheCoin

Not everyone has a butthole.

abcnews.go.com...

a reply to: Propagandalf

The media's gaslighting and astroturfing has far more reach and effect.

It doesn’t, seeing as how they are only reporting on what the president and others in his administration do.

I’d say the federal government gaslighting people is more of a problem than media outlets doing it. A lot of people still have a naive faith that the government is telling them the truth, especially now, while most people realize that the media embellishes stories from time to time.

originally posted by: OtherSideOfTheCoin
We all disagree with each other on something, we are all individuals and hold individual views and opinions on various subject whether it be sports, or your favourite flavour of ice cream are all going to differ at some point. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who holds all of the exact same views that I have, we might get close but eventually we find something we disagree on.

I am an avid Celtic fan; my best mate is a Rangers fan and for anyone who knows anything about Scottish football that’s going to inevitably lead to some interesting debates and discussions that sometimes get a little heated. I don’t think less of the guy, I respect that he can tolerate supporting a team that fell so hard and so fast, I respect that he endures the ripping he has to take for his chosen team when sitting in a bar watching a game and his is the only blue shirt in a sea of green and white. He basically has a different opinion from mine and at the end of the day although I might disagree, I can cite a whole bunch of reasons why Celtic are a better team I respect that he supports a different team.

It’s the same with loads of issues, I hate going for Chinese food because I love Indian, but my good lady is the exact opposite, so we just have to work with that. Happens at work, I might not like doing something one way, yet another will swear down it’s the best way to do it. I love Star Wars I know someone who hates it but thinks that the sun shines out of Captain Kirks behind. Now I am sure that if you are reading this the above will resonate with you in some way, when you look at just about everyone in your life, I am sure that some of them might hold opinions and views that are a little different to your own but you just kind of get one with it.

That is unless its politics.

It seems when it comes to politics this ability to respectfully disagree with another’s opinion on any given issue goes right out the window. “ohhh you mean you didn’t vote for Brexit…scum” … “what’s that? You don’t quite hate trump as much as me…racist” or really any issue you want to take it seems like we all of a sudden become very high and mighty about our own opinions. The arrogance of this is astounding, how many times to you read something like “well if you’re not left/right you must be an idiot” …ehh what? So, if I don’t agree with your opinion, I must be an idiot, it couldn’t possibly be that I just hold a different opinion that’s just as well founded as your own. This happens all the time on all sides of the political divide in just about any political discussion.

It seems like we have lost the ability to respectfully disagree, we don’t say well I disagree with you on this because x,y and z. We don’t just simply acknowledge that a difference of opinion is just that a difference of opinion it’s not about right and wrong because our opinions are so subjective.

Speaking of which, that brings me on to another interesting aspect of opinions when discussing politics. How often do you see an opinion being articulated in such a way as to suggest that it’s not a fact but an opinion? Stuff along the lines of “Trump has the best/worst track record with women…” it’s an opinion not a fact. Now sure you can support an opinion with facts, you can refute or challenge the opinion of another based on facts, but you cannot pretend that your opinion is a fact. For example, I am of the opinion that the Star Wars franchise is the best movie franchise there is, now from there I could start citing facts about how it has generated the most cash, the awards it has won and its influence on modern cinema. It’s still an opinion though just like a someone else might actually say that the marvel, DC, star-trek or twilight (although why I don’t know) is actually the best. Doesn’t make either of us wrong just that we have different opinions and weigh up the facts a bit differently.

Politics is no different, I might not share your politics, you might not share my politics but it’s not because either one of us is a blabbering idiot, it’s not because one of us is right and one of us is wrong so let’s all see who can shout the loudest its simply because we have different opinions. It’s just because we have different opinions, probably as a result of having different experiences and personal values and various issues impacting us in a different way.

Don’t get me wrong I know that there are some people out there who have pretty stupid opinions that most of us might agree with. Like my mate being a mad Rangers fan (why? What the hell is wrong with him?) but at the end of the day for me I fundamentally belief that to be civilised we should respect all opinions and views, sure we can challenge the ones we don’t like, we can debate them and even expose them as being socially unacceptable and founded in ignorance.

But opinions are like bumholes, we all have one. We all like to have our opinions validated and we all get a bit upset when our opinions and views are challenged (really don't like when my bumhole is challenged, this was a awful analogy) but I think the real challenge is showing respect for different opinions.

#respectbumholes.

dude, whatever, you just will not shut up. I do not like what you have to say, I never will. Everything you present defies common sense.

a reply to: underwerks

It doesn’t, seeing as how they are only reporting on what the president and others in his administration do.

I’d say the federal government gaslighting people is more of a problem than media outlets doing it. A lot of people still have a naive faith that the government is telling them the truth, especially now, while most people realize that the media embellishes stories from time to time.

You would say that, because I suspect you've been gaslit.

They aren't reporting on what the president and others in his administration do. Many times they report on a fraction of a sentence cherry-picked from an hour long speech, and then fill the rest with anti-Trump commentary. This doesn't leave you informed. It leaves you misinformed.

originally posted by: Propagandalf
a reply to: underwerks

It doesn’t, seeing as how they are only reporting on what the president and others in his administration do.

I’d say the federal government gaslighting people is more of a problem than media outlets doing it. A lot of people still have a naive faith that the government is telling them the truth, especially now, while most people realize that the media embellishes stories from time to time.

You would say that, because I suspect you've been gaslit.

They aren't reporting on what the president and others in his administration do. Many times they report on a fraction of a sentence cherry-picked from an hour long speech, and then fill the rest with anti-Trump commentary. This doesn't leave you informed. It leaves you misinformed.

I agree with you that they don’t report on much this administration does, but that’s because this administration doesn’t really do anything. They say they do. Then they search for stretchable facts to support their statements.

I think part of what makes you think the way you do is this myth of the “liberal media”. Most media is owned by a few conglomerates whose only allegiance is to the shareholders, who more often than not are overwhelmingly conservative. The myth of the liberal media is just another part of the current gaslighting going on.

I know a lot of people here will take issue with my statement about the “liberal” media but ask yourself, why was the expose on Trump defrauding the taxpayers to the tune of half a billion dollars buried? It wasn’t in the news but a day or two, and that was grade A investigative journalism that took over a year of research to put together. Yet the “liberal” media that supposedly hates Trump buried it. Why?

What about the Panama papers? Anyone remember that? Where powerful people (including some large right wing donors) were implicated in worldwide money laundering schemes? One of the reporters was actually murdered over that story but it was buried after a while as well.

The reason I bring the media up in this sense is because the common idea of them being liberal is just another type of gaslighting. By the people who benefit from having everyone else think that way. Things are really so convoluted at this point it takes work to throw off the manufactured delusions and get to a place of actual truth.

Its like peeling back the layers of an onion.

a reply to: underwerks

The administration has done plenty. But again, we'd know that had it been reported on.

The media is largely liberal by any standards. (Dear Mainstream Media: Why so liberal?). Evidence proves more than some specious conjecture. So I suspect you're engaging in more gaslighting here, or are a victim of it.

But I don't use mine. I have a colostomy bag. Ha! Not really!

originally posted by: skunkape23

Thank you!

Been years since my days listening to Ministry, Butthole Surfers, DeadKennedys, Dead Milkmen, and Mudhoney!

originally posted by: OtherSideOfTheCoin
but I think the real challenge is showing respect for different opinions.

I disagree. Most people think their own opinion is a fact. So if your opinion is different either you are lying or you are deluded. There is no respect for opposing opinions.

And even further, people who are authoritarians by nature tend to worship the opinions of who is in authority. Authoritarians are psychologically incomplete people. Authoritarians worship leadership so strongly they see their favorite leader as a personal extension of their own being. So attacking the opinions of the leader as not being God's given truth to humanity is felt like a personal attack by the authoritarian. Authoritarians have no distinction between themselves and their fandom.

So consequently, having an opinion that is different than an authoritarian is like saying eff-U to the authoritarian.

originally posted by: Fools
dude, whatever, you just will not shut up. I do not like what you have to say, I never will. Everything you present defies common sense.

It's funny how people who claim to have the most common sense turn out to be the ones with the most irrational beliefs.