IMHO.....?

"Opinions are like nipples, everybody has one. Some have firm points, others are barely discernible through layers, and some are displayed at every opportunity regardless of whether the audience has stated "I am interested in your nipples" or not."

David Thorne

So recently I walked off a Facebook Support Group for Dyspraxia in a huff. Nothing unusual there, I quite often walk off things in a huff. However, the huff this time related to one of my current bete noires - the dreaded 'Opinion'. Right now, there's probably nothing that makes me think that 'free speech' is an overrated concept that the use of the word 'opinion'

So the story, since you didn't ask, goes as follows.

The Facebook Dyspraxia Support group exists to support people who have Dyspraxia. No surprises there. It quite often features posts from people who struggle with everyday tasks and organisation and need advice. However, lately it appeared to have drifted from its original mission statement and began posting general articles on disability including this charming statement

Now whenever I see a headline like this liked to on Facebook, my immediate reaction is to click on it and investigate further. Does the headline match the statement? Where is it from? Who said it? I've seen enough click bait to arouse a certain amount of cynicism, even this week we've had "Coleen Nolan compares Gay Rights Activists to ISIS" rather than the actual truth of "Coleen Nolan Used An Arguably Clumsy Analogy To Raise Questions About How Far We Can And Should Go In Regulating Free Speech Which Might Have Been Acceptable From A Political Philosopher But Apparently Bad Coming From Someone Whose Day Job Is Apparently Just To Sit On A Sofa". Rather as if I had said "Cows are to calfs as Kittens are to Cats" and you replied "Don't be stupid, have you ever tried to milk a cat" (I nicked this from Andrew Rilstone).

In this case however, there was no ambiguity, the Deputy Mayor had said exactly what was attributed to him. BUT (and this is important) it was over 10 years ago. I pointed this out on the Facebook group, the poster apologised and took the article down, making another post to apologise for this.


And this is where the trouble started. Someone else commented that the original poster had nothing to apologise for and what was the difference whether it was ten years old or not. I commented that I couldn't see the point in a group supposedly set up in to support people with a specific disability posting old articles about people who no longer had any influence stating views that were so obviously wrong that I couldn't think of anyone who supported them. It was at this point that someone used the dread words 'I feel like you are belittling my opinion" Which was at the point I left feeling this group was no longer for me.

I want to do a long post about this some day, but I honestly feel like the 'opinion card' is played too freely these days. Having an opinion to some people seems to mean that they cannot be challenged or argued with or dismissed or told they are silly - it seems the opinions are some sort of amulet casting a protection on the wearer.

In conclusion

1. Sometimes I'm a bit of an ass on line and need to chill out
2. Always be wary of the Anti-Kitten Burning Coalition.
3. Having an opinion is the START, not the END of a process.