Fremont County is large, diverse, and filled with opinions, or “talk in the 10.” “Talk in the 10” is an opportunity for you, our readers, to articulate and share your thoughts about what is happening in the community with the community. Letters may have been edited for clarity and length, but generally have been published exactly as received. The views expressed in the following are solely those of the author. Send your letters to our editors by emailing opinion@county10.com
In light of ongoing events, we need to step back and review our societal standards. When did someone’s opinion become someone’s fact? I believe we are in for a lot of trouble as a nation. Our recent differences have become an excuse for hatred and, in some cases, violence. This is nothing new, nor is it something that will be easily corrected, because it is not happening in a vacuum. I believe that we are all part of a power struggle, and whether heaven or hell, government or “it’s the corporations m
an,” we all have our part to play. Throughout history, nations have existed on a simple principle: conquer or be conquered. And as brutal or uncaring as this principle seems, it will not be changing soon. These same principles filter down throughout societies to the individual level and are not all inherently bad; however, the means by which we settle our disputes is what distinguishes us as individuals, societies, or nations.
You would not hire a truck driver to fix a broken pipe in your home, nor would you hire a plumber to remove your appendix. We all make up a functioning society with very individual needs and desires. A balance is created with the basic understanding that each of us and our opinions matter, but a well-balanced society recognizes that a bridge is needed between our opinions and those of others. We have always known that our opinions were just that, opinions and not facts! How can an individual or group of individuals contain all of the knowledge required to make decisions that will affect the lives of an entire nation of people? The simple answer is, they can’t. In his book Intellectuals and Society, Thomas Sowell examines the phenomenon in which a small group of individuals considers their opinions more enlightened than those of the entire nation.
Americans have always accepted that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but something has fundamentally changed recently. People’s opinions have become people’s facts. The compulsion to vilify anyone with a dissenting idea has become overwhelming, and I think that there are forces capitalizing on our base instincts. Our basic instinct is to kick rocks and scream at a particular person or group, such as The Freedom Caucus, when we don’t get our way. The simple fact is that a large group of people voted for these folks to go and cut what is perceived by many to be fat. Property taxes have been increasing over the years to the point that people have turned to our legislature to provide some relief for homeowners. This has not happened out of the goodness of their hearts, but rather as a direct result of pressure to consider their constituents’ opinions. Facts are stubborn things, and if we continue to pay for every program everyone wants, we will soon be unable to provide anything.
I know that nothing can be done without first forming an opinion, but next time we do, let us first consider that someone else may have a perfectly good opinion that leads to an opposite conclusion. That does not make them a bad person, evil, or Hitler. It may simply mean that your opinion could unacceptably impact that person or segment of our society. Spiritually, financially, or ideologically, there are many things that people find unacceptable about our present societal ills, but that doesn’t make us enemies; it may only mean that you think that your opinion is the only one that matters.
Thank you,
Paul Schrock