Cassandra+G’s+OpEd+Article



//By Cassandra G.// media type="file" key="cassandrag-muckraker-0910.mp3" I feel every word I say is judged. Not just my word, but everyone else’s. We constantly have to guard our true opinions in order to “conform” and fit in with what people want to hear. It seems like whenever I am talking about a controversial topic with someone, and they disagree with me, the conversation automatically shuts down. You feel your conversation just cannot continue on that same topic because you and the other person don’t agree on the issue. You just cannot seem to have a conversation these days without hitting a nerve in someone’s morals, therefore leading (sometimes) to a verbal attack by that other person yelling at you that your opinion is wrong.
 * “Is There Duct Tape Over My Mouth?”**

However, according to Merriam Webster, the definition of an opinion is “a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter”. With this stated, opinions are formed in your mind. We should not judge people just on their opinions on controversial subjects such as politics or war. I always feel I cannot even say my true opinion in classroom discussions, because then people will start breathing fire on me for stating my opinion. I have duct tape on my mouth (figuratively of course) most of the time, too afraid to say what I feel even with a teacher mediating a classroom discussion. It seems what you say and how you feel about certain things can ruin you if you are “out there” with your opinions. I wish we could just say what we feel as long as we say it respectfully. I believe that opinions are formed within us based on personal experiences. You cannot judge a person’s opinion unless you know what type of experiences that person has had previously with the particular issue they have an opinion on.

Don’t judge people just on their opinions, even if they disagree with you. I really don’t want to walk around with duct tape over my mouth for the rest of my life.

__**P.S. It hurt to take the duct tape off my mouth :(**__