Haralambos

Your opinion that one opinion is not better than another may be true for OLO and other down-market blogs.

But would you extend this to, say, George Bush's opinion that Saddam Hussein had a stockpile of weapons of mass destruction while others had the contrary opinion?

How about my opinion that all religions are bunkum as compared to Mr BOAZ's opinion that only non-Christian religions are bunkum?

The problem with holding the view that one opinion is as good as another (in my opinion) is that people get to act on their opinions. And can wreak havoc in people's lives.

Your hero, Martin Luther King, was murdered because he had an opinion (a dream) and people had the opinion that his opinion was a threat to their position of power and that he should not be allowed to have that opinion.

In my opinion, their opinion was inferior to King's opinion.

Opinions based on ignorance and prejudice (and there are plenty on OLO) are clearly inferior to opinions based on research, wide reading, logical thinking and thoughtful reflection.

I wish there were more of the latter on OLO. It would be more interesting and intellectually challenging. Alas...

Haralambos- you state "Yes, most on OLO are sheep. Mind you, I like sheep, but they can not think for themselves."

Now why in the world did you have to go and say that? That is no way to make friends and influence people is it? Unless of course you are trying to get the OLO community off side. In which case, just keep it up.

Baaaa- Baaaa! That is sheep talk for "I am quite able to think for myself thank you very much. And don't you ever forget it."

I like that,sheep accusing sheep of being sheep.What will the Kiwis say?They have more sheeps than people but are they smarter than Helen Clarke?
Everyone has an opinion within their terms of reference which is connected to their experiences.Opinion means nothing,unless you've toiled at the anvil of life,no matter how smart you think you are.

Dear Haralambos,

I also don't think that this Forum is a "boy's club."

Sure there is a lot of interaction amongst us but that's to be expected. There is a substantial number of posters with a shared interest in some issue on which there are differing opinions. However there are as many posters as there are issues. Because not everyone is interested in the same topic, or is aware of a particular issue. The Forum expands or contracts as more posters gain or lose interest in the topic.

Some posters of the Forum may think and feel alike, but they are individuals, and although they may agree on one topic, they may disagree on another.

I feel that opinions and viewpoints are sifted through other people,
be they family, friends, workmates, or posters on this Forum. Opinions are not made in a vacuum. They're made in the context of our existing cultural and personal preconceptions.

Foxy,

You seem to have missed my point again. I do not want constant agreement. I want the idiots to grow up. And, unless its some men using women's names, then its females who also buy into this sexist status quo.

Now I do agree with you about personal and cultural preconceptions. Nevertheless, I believe we can rise above them.

Think of it like this. The whole is made of many parts. But of course, each part is unique, a one off. What this therefore means is that each and every one of us not only can, but does stand apart.

In other words, our preconceived values only continue because we allow them to.

Haralambos - I tend to think your 'sheep' comment was more than a tad arrogant. Many people writing on OLO are there to voice their opinions. Rarely do they just agree and act like 'sheep' and when they do, it is more likely to be because they genuinely agree or they have seen the merit in an argument and have been persuaded. I think this is more much more admirable than those who refuse to listen to anything which might ruffle their preconceptions.

For instance, I'll say I think pelican and Tammyjo have expressed things very well in this thread. Does this make me a mere sheep?

I'd challenge you to point me to a single example where posters are indeed just behaving like 'sheep.' You have your opinion, fine. But if you want it to have value, back it up.

I also reject that it's a boys club. Yes, some male posters make a plethora of comments. But that doesn't make their comments any better. On the flip side, if indeed, their comments are of decent quality, then hell, they should be encouraged.

As far as the quality of debate goes, yes, it sometimes leaves something to be desired, but it's still better than most forums.

If you really want to see the bottom of the barrel or the height of stupidity, go and look at the comments on any given youtube video. It's a pretty persuasive argument in favour of 'lowest common denominator' theories.