It is tempting in our writing or speaking to make our opinions about things sound like facts. And with today’s turmoil, there seems to be a lot of this happening. Just watch a news channel for an hour. I know that I’ve been guilty of doing this. And we use a lot of different devices to accomplish this:
“It is just common sense to….”
“Of course, this is what is going on…”
“Everyone knows that…”
“Those guys think that…”
Actually, a lot of this is simply feels like “spin”, designed to convince someone about something, and it is somewhat dishonest. Why can’t we just say, “My opinion about this is…” and state our opinion for what it is? An opinion! Maybe, with reflection and conversation, it is not common sense, not what is going on, and not what everyone knows. If what you are saying is fact, then present the fact, and where it came from. If not, it is opinion, and you get to have one! Just declare it as such. And then allow other opinions to be expressed and considered.
Thoughts?
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