Ever get into discussion with someone... only for them to throw a monkey wrench in you're gears, the monkey wrench which is the word OPINION? Yes, the person has an opinion, as per the obvious. You construct a sound argument, only to be told that it is an opinion. No counterargument, nothing, just being told the obvious.

Why do people always think that this is somehow relevant to discussion? Everyday more and more people use this word, intending it as some sort of backhand slam. Are you holding someone at gunpoint, demanding that someone recant their opinion? No? Then why are you stating the obvious, which is that everbody has opinions? If you simply wish to state you're opinion without discussion, without resistance, why participate in discussion? Doesnt that defeat the purpose? Okay you have an opinion... and everything I said is opinion... what now? Do we just stop discussion?

I think part of what started this whole trend was when the whole "difference is strength" and "diversity is beauty" thing became a standard in american culture.

While opinions are much harder to prove than fact, there is a point, where so much overwhelming evidence can be brought to bear that an opinion can be basically true.

I especially can't stand it when people use "in my opinion" before every sentence in an attempt to be more politically correct.

I can definitely agree with this.

People tend to throw out the "DErp... It is your opinion... DerP..." when they don't want to argue/discuss, or lack the mental capacity to actually contribute to the conversation. To often, people say "that is your opinion, not a fact...DeRp" and 99% of the time, the person who is giving their opinion never even mention that their opinion is a fact... Not only that, but an opinion is so obvious that anyone can point to it and say "that is an opinion, yo."

Really, whenever somebody goes with the whole "dude, that is totally, like, your opinion... dude"-thing, I feel like saying (and sometime do say) "Cool, you correctly pointed out something that was blatantly my opinion... Pointing out the blatantly obvious shows your intellectual prowess. Would you like a cookie? A pat on the back? Praise for pointing out something that even a mentally disabled inanimate object could point out?"

As I always say: politically correct is intellectually incorrect.

In my opinion this thread smells.



- I don't care for "political correctness" at all, and even if it's someones opinion I'll still challenge it, whats the point in not?

Sounds like someone has been reading a lot of Youtube comments.

But that's just my opinion, so don't flame me. K. K? K JC?

That's just your opinion.

I can't stand when people call broad swaths of people sheep.

http://xkcd.com/610/

This is now relevant.

This thread is not a good thread, IMO.

But when someone says "it's my opinion", then it is easier for that person to avoid argument. In my opinion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdd6_ZxX8c%5DYeah?

Actually, it is a bonafide fact.

Ha! Nice.

I don't think it's anything to do with political correctness but is more a symptom of the number of people who state their opinions as if they were indeed irrefutable facts. There are others who'd like to be clear that they're not doing the same; seems fair enough to me.

The opinions being expressed here are not actively creating discussion and/or debate IMO.

I know in my case, over the years when I've stated something that was obviously an opinion and didn't label it as such, theres always that special someone that says "THATS SUBJECTIVE!!!" or "THATS NOT FACT THATS AN OPINION!!!".

Honestly, 99% of the time it's pointed out there was no need to do so.

Well my opinion is, just because I have an opinion doesn't mean it can't be judged or challenged because I said it's an opinion. If I say something controversial but I began or ended my statement with 'in my opinion' doesn't make it into an act of unemproachable speech.

I think your problem is trying to prove something, if someone has an opinion you disagree with just weight your opinion that you value more against it and see how it weights out.

http://xkcd.com/1013/

But even if we used facts, it won't stop that one solipsist in the corner claiming otherwise.

Wah. IMO.

Yeah, there are some who won't even really express their own viewpoint in any way, just come in and say "well that's just your opinion." Adds nothing to the discussion, tis true. However you're not required to respond to it, and everyone else is not required to discuss things in forums with bullet points or in the same style as you may prefer. That's why it's an open forum. If they're being actually rude or breaking the rules, you report it to a mod.

Pretty much why I use it.

In my opinion, this is a bit of a pointless rant.

There's nothing wrong with saying, "but that's just my opinion", as long as it really is your opinion and you're not trying to cop out of the discussion after trying to state your opinion as fact.

The reason people say that it's your opinion is probably because you come off sounding like your opinion is a fact and anyone who thinks otherwise is a [censored].

But it should be obvious that anything i post, except mathematics and scientific theories, are opinions. In my opinion.

The problem is many people acting like their opinions are fact and yelling at you for disagreeing. Sometimes they actually believe that there is no way they can be wrong... never visit the StarCraft 2 official forums.

Around here I use it for two reasons, either it's because dikeweed A thinks his OPINION is irreputable FACT and should be told 'That's your opinion and you're entitled to it, but....' or, it's my way of backing out of a discussion where my actual response would likely get me a warning.

i think the OP and some people are missing the point of why most people use the term "that is just your opinion"

its not to point out the fact that you have your own perspective, every one knows that is obvious, rather it is often used when some one states something as fact that is clearly not and is instead simply a personal preference of the person making the statement.

example: I hate chocolate, it tastes bad and burns my tongue, so obviously any one who likes chocolate ARE masochists.

Also, opinions do not ruin Discussion. if discussion was all about every one agreeing with each other it would be called PRO-cussion and not DIS-cussion.

My opinion is that the moon is made out of cheese.

If we are all in a state of limbo, we must be suffering from CON-cussion!