The Optimist
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Features
  • Print Edition
    • The Pessimist
    • Special Projects
  • Police Log
  • Classifieds
You are here: Home / Opinion / “Everyone is entitled to my opinion”

“Everyone is entitled to my opinion”

April 7, 2017 by Optimist Editorial Board

Everyone has opinions about something, be it what type of coffee they prefer in the morning, whether or not they like pickles, what grade they should have received on the paper they wrote the night before or if the sermon at church was good on Sunday.

Yet sometimes, when confronted with strong words or a different point of view than our own, we jump into attack mode, decrying the other’s differing opinion. This type of response, in and of itself, is not bad.

In fact, voicing opinions under the protection of free speech, is a privilege given to all by the First Amendment.

The danger in criticising opinions comes when the act of sharing an opinion itself is the very thing being criticized.

In a beautiful display of circular reasoning, we can sometimes chase our own tails. All we are saying is, “Hey, listen, everyone here is entitled to my own opinion but I don’t want to hear yours.” This happens to be an opinion shared, which yes, is a perfectly legal thing to do.

In the news business, or more specifically, the editorial and opinion business,  the conflict of ideas is what keeps the words coming onto the pages. We love to hear feedback, critiques, disagreements, refutation of points, correction of misreported facts and counter-arguments. We welcome the conflict of ideas.

If you’ve noticed, most everything printed on this page is a critique of things we as a newspaper have said and done. Because yes, we’ve said things that could seem harsh, pointed, cyncial, negative, and we’ve even incorrectly written some things before.

But we wouldn’t ever shut down the free flow of conversation on our campus simply because people disagree. We hope to use our position and influence as a publication to continue pursuing understanding together.

So next time you disagree with someone, acknowledge it, come up with a better argument, and remember it’s their right to say what they think, too.

Filed Under: Editorials, Opinion

Other Opinion:

  • Tariffs are the last thing struggling students need

  • Gen Z won the election for Donald Trump

  • A Swift rebuke: When it comes to politics, celebrities just do not get it

About Optimist Editorial Board

You are here: Home / Opinion / “Everyone is entitled to my opinion”

Other Opinion:

  • Tariffs are the last thing struggling students need

  • Gen Z won the election for Donald Trump

  • A Swift rebuke: When it comes to politics, celebrities just do not get it

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
optimistsports Optimist Sports @optimistsports ·
26 Jun

The United Athletic Conference is officially taking the place of the Western Athletic Conference in the 2026-2027 athletic year. The UAC is a joint football effort between the WAC and the ASUN but will now extend to all sports. #acuoptimist #acuathletics #wac #uac

Reply on Twitter 1938240320854008109 Retweet on Twitter 1938240320854008109 2 Like on Twitter 1938240320854008109 7 Twitter 1938240320854008109
Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
ashleyh1607 Ashley Henderson @ashleyh1607 ·
3 Jun

My second year at ACU was full of opportunities that grew me as an individual and a journalist.

In my first year as editor in chief of @acuoptimist, we published six print issues, filmed a 3-hour live election show, and revamped our newscast, all while producing news weekly.

Reply on Twitter 1929734328445178254 Retweet on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Like on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Twitter 1929734328445178254

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

1 years ago

The Optimist

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

2 years ago

The Optimist
"Ending my college education early was always the plan for me, but the things that I have been able to see, experience and examine about ACU’s community were not. I have found immense growth in ACU over the past three and a half years, but ACU still has a long road to climb if it wants to keep catering to students as the world changes around them." To read more of this article visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. #acu #abilenechristianuniversity #privatechristianuniversity #collegestudentopinion #acuopinion ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Optimist Newscast Feb. 28, 2024

Our top stories today include a recap of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, the ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 21, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 14, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Jan. 24, 2024

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Policies
    • Advertising Policy
    • Letters to the Editor and Reader Comments
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Features
  • Advertise
    • Paid Advertisement
  • Police Log

© 2025 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved