Too Opinionated

This seems to be the way the thread's going - the idea that ppl say it about someone whose opinions they really disagree with, or someone they simply dislike. But there are two people whom I really like who are very opinionated and express their opinions to all and sundry at every possible moment and I still think they should prolly refrain from doing this as I think to do so might do them the power of good. As they are my my mates, I sometimes find the tendency for them to do this endearing, but sometimes it is very wearing. One of the ppl concernbed is at work and it is interesting to watch the expressions of the ppl who listen to his tirades. I know he has upset a few of them.

One of the most disillusioning moments of my life was at a party talking to an old teacher of mine, who had been a big influence on my life. There was a bit of lively debate about various things in which he first made a point of disagreeing with everything I said, then started to appeal to other people there, saying 'blimey, hasn't she got bolshy and opinionated?' 'bloody feminists' and - to my boyfriend - 'how do you put up with her?' Charming.

Can someone please tell me why this thread was locked? Now I?m a liberal and all, but considering that many women opt to escape from countries where this compulsory because they feel it undervalues them and generally abuses their rights ? I?d like to know WHAT THE FUCK ILX is on this morning? You cannot bring this up anymore? Seriously, can anyone with half a brain tell me why this was deemed offensive?

Hey man, it’s cool. You respect the fact that women are forced to cover themselves from head to toe – or risk torture and imprisonment – in foreign climates where the weather is unbearably hot. That’s cool man. You don’t think it looks silly either. That’s fine. Respect to you.

Or, I suppose, perhaps in a way, it is. In my experience, it's the threatened men who bray the loudest about their opinions, when, with all (un)due respect, it's *them* that should be learning to hold their tongues to preserve the social peace.

xxpost

Calum - yes it it repressive, but I don't think your flippant tone engenders serious debate about it - "you look a little like darth vadar". Also it has been discussed before, and there is a search function. had anything been massively in the news about this topic lately then a new thread might be justified, but if you just want to crow about how liberal you are then this is hardly the way to do it.

what's the answer censored sam? you sound like you know.

Me too. Not with your g/f obv, Nick.

otherwise you can always email [email protected] and tell them to stop the repression.

- Holding stubbornly and often unreasonably to one's own opinions
- obstinate in your opinions

There's a mighty difference between having a strong opinion and being stubborn and unreasonable, innit?

sometimes there isn't.

'the freedom to be spoilt'. do you not know what decadence means?

1 A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof: “The world is not run by thought, nor by imagination, but by opinion” (Elizabeth Drew).
2 A judgment based on special knowledge and given by an expert: a medical opinion.
3 A judgment or estimation of the merit of a person or thing: has a low opinion of braggarts.
4 The prevailing view: public opinion.
5 Law. A formal statement by a court or other adjudicative body of the legal reasons and principles for the conclusions of the court.

so yeah they seem to hold opinions at a low esteem (they have a low opinion on opinions, if you may).. like, unless it is totally/mostly objective like when it's based on expert knowledge, then having a passioned opinion is detracting from your ability to make assessments based on facts. which i guess is true in a lot of ways, but certain makes life less fun. (but then what's fun isn't always right)

Ken - I really don't know the answer. You can't go charging into countries (and certainly not with an uneducated military) the way we did in Iraq, but I acknowledge that the world would be better off if human rights abuses in other countries were stopped - be it through minimal force or otherwise.

I generally have strong opinions, especially in regard to my work, and - obv - I think they're good, well reasoned, defensible opinions. I think this can work against me though: expressing an opinion about most topics that come up makes it seem that you are just shooting your mouth off *again* and detracts from people thinking about and taking on board what you've said. People who limit how many opinions they express seem to have more credibility.

But to leave it at that is to disregard the other filter, the media filter, which works regardless of what medium we choose to follow - TV, radio, internet, newspaper. None of these report the full transript - or if they do, it is as a well-hidden transcript. No matter how deft Bell might have been, the media would have taken his words and promoted the most inflammatory to the top of the pile. If there is one lesson that schools should be teaching right now - be they religious or secular, state or independent, it is the ability to sift the news and detect what is really being said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4180845..

Two factors (of the many that are in play for each individual case):

1) Often these women grew up in an environment where they absorbed this concept of modesty, and as a result would feel half-naked if they were to go around without wearing the concealing garments.

2) Often they live in families and/or neighborhoods where they will be presumed to be morally loose if they are not wearing traditional garb, and will be mistreated accordingly.

I object to the concept of purdah because it excuses men who can't or won't restrain themselves at the sight of a woman's hair/face/figure. But simply banning traditional clothing ignores how these women grew up and the environment in which many of them live.