Claire Oliver
Here’s a question: Why is it that every time I sit down to write an opinion, it seems I have nothing to say?
I’ll admit right off the bat that this is a bit of an overstatement.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think of myself as completely ignorant, and when someone asks me a specific question, I’m usually capable of formulating an independent thought. But, when you are given a blank page and are told, “Go, speak your mind,” where do you start?
Maybe it’s because I’ve never been much of a creative thinker, or maybe it’s because there’s still some self-consciousness I must overcome as a writer, but I often hesitate to throw my hat into an issue I have little-to-no experience with. Many others, I know, don’t feel this same reserve. Maybe they should.
Maybe it’s about being an American and being of an equal voice, but so many times people take one tiny bit of information and run with it when in fact they aren’t the most responsible of sources.
At Linfield and in high school, my instructors all put an emphasis on the importance of critical thinking and the ability to evaluate material as a reader. For some students, however, this concept has been muddied and has instead become the need to speak for the sake of speaking. They feel the need to speak their mind, even if they haven’t made it up yet.
There are no stupid questions, but, at least for me, there are certainly less-than-stellar answers, and I think some people need a refresher course on the idea of quality over quantity.
Students, bloggers or whoever needs to realize when his or her opinions are not his or her own and give credit where it is due.
Of course, don’t just take these opinions at face value and don’t blindly follow a path just because a certain political or social figure tells you to. Decide for yourself, but think carefully before you share it so that ignorance—conscious or not—is not perpetuated.
I’m entirely aware that this may seem to be an attack on free speech, especially in the case of mass media, but just because it’s free doesn’t mean it’s without standards.
I’m not suggesting that a person feel the need to remain silent just because he or she doesn’t know everything about everything that’s happening in the world—no one can truly fit that bill—but rather that he or she recognize where further research is require and, for now, stick to what they have knowledge of or experience with.
Critical thinking is an important skill and one that should be more consciously maintain.
I guess then my opinion is that opinions matter, so think carefully about your own and your ability to back it up.
Don’t have an opinion just for the sake of it.