I typically hate being told to “shut up.” However, I am starting to think those two words might be my new mantra. That’s because I suffer from a crippling addiction: the need to express every opinion out loud.
American society was founded on dramatic declarations of opinions. We pride ourselves on our democratic ideals, learning and growing through argument. Sure: there is value in opinions. They help us understand one another, contribute to diverse viewpoints and set societal change in motion. But the incessant expression of opinions is worth less than the U.S. penny that thousands of Twitter threads want to discontinue.
Beginning in 2nd grade, we were taught claim, evidence and reasoning: the supposed outline of every argument. Ever since then, we have rigidly defined all writing by these terms. I can’t escape CER. I’m probably using it right now. It’s stunting creativity and communication from primary school to the job market, filling heads with useless claims backed by pseudo-science and false judgments.
Why is constant argument replacing friendliness and mutual understanding? Compromise is a thing of the past. Opinions dominate, and they are gold in our society. They are clutched at and dusted off no matter how stale or obnoxious they become.
Opinions are inherently conceited. Every time opinion-sharers open their mouths, they’re assuming everyone around them cares about what they have to say. But our subconscious was not intended to be aired out. Moreover, most of the time, opinions have no value and elicit no change. They are expressed and sit stagnantly until they fall dead. If you care about an issue, write a senator. Or run for senate. But there is a time and a place for your opinions, and it’s not in manifesto-form on your Instagram story. No one cares that you don’t like a certain style of shoes. No one cares that your teacher is mean. No one cares when you whine about the sea turtles. If you want change, create it yourself. So the next time you open your mouth to performatively lament the “state of society” in the middle of the hallway, maybe just shut it right back up. Or don’t. I don’t have much of an opinion on the matter.
