People do tend to hide behind this word as if it's supposed to end all discussion.

Opinion and Fact are two things that are often confused.

The above example about landing a plane makes the most sense.


Incorrect: No it's not, liver is awful!
Correct: I don't really like the taste myself.

The problem stems from what is probably kids on the internet opting for the first response, and thinking their opinion is LAW, something that cannot be refuted.

That's the source of my frustration with the phrase.

Some people have opinions that are flat out wrong. I do believe that. Of course that is a opinion in itself...but still.

They're both correct, the only difference is the wording. The opinion is the same: "I do not like liver." The problem comes in when somebody ELSE takes the first as being stated as fact. It's not, it's still an opinion.

So, yes, it is my opinion that it is as much the receiver's fault for the reception of the message as it is the sender's for the semi-loaded wording. You can't just shift all the blame onto one person for "pushing off their opinion as fact"

Many people would consider their own statement, even an opinion, AS fact.

And just as many people would assume that others hold their own opinion as fact, when they may only hold onto it as a belief.

Edit: Example (as much as I hate to use myself as an example), I believe that the FN FAL is one of the best assault rifles ever designed, and I can support why I think it is as such. This is only my opinion; others have accused me of holding it as fact.

Just because someone sticks to their opinion in face of opposition doesn't mean they think their opinion is fact, it just means they haven't been convinced otherwise.

People can't read minds. If someone forces their opinion rather than presents it in an understandable way, it's their own fault.

And I guess that's where we're at an impasse, because my opinion is that the blame is shared; people react in a hostile manner too easily

Waiiiii...aren't you the guy who made the thread about having to put up the ariplane seats? Anyway, I use "in my opinion" a whole lot in a discussion. I'm not implying that since it's an opinion it can't be flawed, quite the opposite. I'm saying that I'm putting my opinion up for discussion, and criticism. It's also a way of saying "this is JUST my opinion guys, I'm not stating that if you don't agree with it then you are an idiot; you can have your opinions too and it's quite possible that you are correct, not I" Common courtesy really. I also use "IMO" because I treat debates as events where I can learn something, and perhaps others can learn something from me, I don't dive in like some paratrooper hell-bent on "winning" the debate, dishing out my opinion as the end-all be-all of the topic. Furthermore, opinions are simply necessary in certain discussions as they cannot be proven with cold, hard facts. To put it simply, if you say 5X5=22, I can mathematically prove it is 25, therefore I'm right. However in a discussion debating the existence of ghosts, or if poem A or poem B is prettier, opinions are necessary. And by the way, I too dislike political correctness, especially when it is used excessively.

No, the first implies that it's a fact. Like you're wrong if you like liver. That is an incorrect viewpoint.



I agree. I was under the impression that the argument was mostly about wording.
Your examples, like the one I listed above, for example:
Incorrect: "IMO, Poem A svcks. Poem B is superior."
Correct: "I am not a fan of Poem A. I like the [logical argument] of Poem B"

Incorrect: "Ghosts don't exist."
Correct: "I don't think ghosts exist."

It's just the way people word their opinion.

It doesn't necessarily imply anything, you're just inferring as such. Like I said, the wording could be better, but it's not solely their fault. "I don't dislike it" might imply that I am indifferent to it, whereas you might infer that it means I like it.

I really don't know what to tell ya

I know its my opinion, but I don't need people to tell me its an opinion.

Just my thoughts......

See what I did there?^

I'm not really sure how you can't see the implications in such absolute wording.
I guess I could say the same to you :/

In real life, do you preface every opinion statement with "in my opinion"? Maybe you do, but I think most people would find it an odd quirk. Generally it's inferred that what a person is saying is their opinion. You can disagree and say you don't like that opinion for whatever reason but I don't see the need to nitpick what the person's trying to convey it as.

It just seems odd to me seeing IMO written all the time. We know.

Agreed.

In my opinion Greek style is morally wrong.

Yep, I say it quite often in one way or another. I often phrase things this way, "I may be wrong but it's my opinion that...blah, blah, blah." I do that for a couple of reasons. One because I don't pretend to the the one owning absolute truth. I don't always remember things correctly and thus if I don't say I'm absolutely sure of something then I feel I need to let whomever I'm talking to that I myself feel I could be incorrect but that I am stating it in the way I remember it or perceive it. Also, many things such as food tastes, tastes in games to play, tastes in reading material, what one believes philosophically or theologically, morals,... just can't be debated well because each holds his own well developed beliefs and thoughts which they often hold dear. There is an emotional attachment to such things. I sure don't want to challenge another's truths despite them not being my truths. In fact rather than doing it to be politically correct, I do it so they know I am in no way threatening their own stands but am rather just sharing my opinion.

I try to be diplomatic as I believe that is how ideas are best exchanged and shared and that it is a good way to learn and to evolve into a better person.

some people dont like hearing opposing points.

One doesn't need to preface everything with IMO to not be claiming what they say is absolute truth.

Might just be a culture difference.

In my opinion, stating "in my opinion" before or after something is said, can be useful or meaningless depending upon the context of the discsussion and what the personal argument of the talker is. It's not really prefixed as a "losing moron's refuge".

I think "objective" is worse than "opinion" right now.

As in "X game is objectively better than Y game and Z game is objectively bad."

Perhaps not but nobody seems to take offense when I do so. It's just going the extra mile to insure there is no offense or ill will. Seems to work regardless of whom I am speaking with.

Tch. Any passenger can land a plane if the tower tells them how to do it. I've seen it in the movies.

I've played microsoft flight simulator with a keyboard. I don't need no stinkin control tower guidance.

Counter act it with, "well why do you think that," or "what made you come to that opinion?" Those two questions always shut people up in debtes I've gotten in at school in my English or debate classes. They don't have a reason for it. Or their answer is always "because that's what I think." At least give a decent answer saying something like "That's what I was taught growing up." (answers vary on the type of question of course ) It's on the lame end of answers, but it is still better then "just because."

May I quote something I've already quoted? Excellent! Here it is:

Caller: There's a question over that. I think a lot of people will tell you that. You're telling us one thing...
Paul Keating: Well, if you're sitting on the title of any block of land in NSW, you can bet an Aboriginal person at some stage was dispossessed of it.
Caller: You know that for sure, do you?
Paul Keating: Of course we know it for sure!
Caller: Yeah, [inaudible].
Paul Keating: You're challenging the High Court decision, are you? You're saying the High Court got this all wrong.
Caller: No, I'm not saying that at all! I wouldn't know who was on the High Court.
Paul Keating: Well, why don't you sign off, if you don't know anything about it and you're not interested. Good bye!
Caller: Yeah, well, that's your ...
Paul Keating: No, I mean, you can't challenge these things and then say, "I don't know about them".
John Laws: Oh well, he's gone.



EDIT: This may not be an example of tact, but it's certainly an example of someone not having a clue and trying to pull the opinion card (and definitely not getting away with it ).