The Misconception of an Opinion

Editor’s Note: The premise of this piece is editorial, or opinion. This is his opinion and not the opinion of management. Should it become the opinion of management, we will neither validate nor consent to his opinion because that usurps the authority of us having our own opinion, which may or may not sound like this dude’s. Also, it is our opinion that we needed to offer this background to understand Joseph’s opinion is his own, so enjoy his piece about his opinion on your opinion. Thank you.

I am on Twitter all the time , and more than half of the people on that platform — or any social media platform — seem to misunderstand what the definition of an opinion is.

According to Oxford, the definition of an opinion is: “a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.”

This means opinion is something that can not be proven right or wrong.

This is why we have debates: We all believe we have a point and accept the challenge to try and sway someone’s thinking. Often, people will understand your perspective. Other times, they will not understand. Whether that comprehension is their decision; ultimately, it is solely opinion.

Many people misplace facts for opinion, especially in the film community.

Your Movie. My Opinion.

If you stroll through Twitter, namely #FilmTwitter, you will encounter many opinions. Most of which directly conflict what you believe personally. Maybe you have seen these?

“Man of Steel is the worst Superman ever, if you like this superman then you don’t know who superman is.”

Or maybe you have seen…

“Star Wars The Last Jedi is the worst Star Wars movie, and if you think otherwise, you are wrong.”

The thing that gets me the most is when these so-called mean-spirited trolls or “fans” hide behind the saying, “But that is my opinion.”

First: That is not how an opinion works. You can not tell someone they are wrong when the person you are debating with has a different opinion than you. If that person is wrong then you are saying, ”My opinion is fact.”

Again, that’s not how that works.

Most people side with one side of an opinion or the other, since true “opinion” is something that can not be proven. When you are in the middle of a heated debate, consider this: Neither one of you are right.

Here is an example of a fact: Two plus two equals four.

That is undisputed fact. You can not argue that premise because it can be proven with irrefutable reference. This fact is not up for debate; ergo, people move on. An opinion is something that can be debated, like the quality of a movie, appreciation of a video game, or the lasting impression of music.

(I will definitely get a lot of hate for this example, but I’m here trying to prove this point.)

Anyone can say say The Godfather is the worst movie in the world, that does not make them wrong, but it does not make them right either.

Now for those that do think The Godfather is the best movie ever, you can debate your reason on why it is amazing and try to change someone else’s thinking, but ultimately, you are neither right nor wrong. You are simply convinced your side of the argument.