This is just my "rant", I neither expect NOR ENCOURAGE anyone to respond. I don't give a damn if you do or not, just like I couldn't care less if you agree or not. I'm putting this up to try and explain why I make some of the comments I do. If you don't like my opinions, fine. It's still a free country. Well, sort of. Okay, maybe it's not, but that's another rant. :)
Putting "value" on people and their opinions....
Someone mentioned that I put a "value" on people's opinions based on what they have or haven't done. Well, I thought about this, and not only is it true, but I stand behind my actions 100% in doing that. Why? Gosh, I'm so glad you asked. :) Let me explain....
Let's say you have two people. One of them has intelligent, well thought out opinions, and has a great deal of first-hand experience with the subject at hand (whatever it is, like plumbing, for example). Let's say that the other person doesn't. Who's opinion *should* you value more? Should Mr. Ignorant get the same consideration as Mr. Experienced? Hell no, not in my universe.
I don't know about you, but I *value* the opinions of person #1 more. I respect their opinions more, as I should. Does that mean person #2 is worthless or no good? Of course not, and that's NOT what I'm saying. Let me repeat that for everyone who's hard of thinking: That's NOT what I'm saying.
On the other hand, I am NOT going to pussy-foot around and say that "everyone's opinion is equal". They're not, and you can scream to high heaven about my non-PC view, but it's true.
Some people's opinions ARE more valuable than others. You don't go to a plumber for medical advice. A plumber doesn't have experience in the medical arena, so are his opinions on matters of health as valuable as a doctor's? Hell no.
In the same way, I wouldn't ask my doctor how to care for my septic system or my sewage pipes. HIS opinions aren't worth squat in that area. That doesn't mean my doctor isn't a good person, or that he isn't smart, or that he has no place commenting on what he *thinks* I ought to do to clear a clogged drain, but the fact remains that his opinions are just not as valuable when it comes to plumbing. That's just the way it is.
Someone else made a comment in regards to this kind of issue that they "value BOTH of their opinions, regardless of who does what." My response was "Not me. I have standards."
I stand by that statement. Sure, I VALUE both my doctor's opinion and my plumber's opinion, BUT ONLY WHERE IT'S RELEVANT. To value them equally is, in my opinion, foolish. And possibly dangerous. I mean, think about it- take off your PC mindset and look at it objectively. Is EVERYONE'S opinion REALLY as valuable as the next person's? Hell no, unless you're the kind of person that goes to your plumber for medical advice.
Sorry, I know it's not politically correct. Too bad- it's reality. Get used to it, or spend your life chasing after what *ought* to be. It's the truth, and no amount of hand-wringing will change that. In context, some people's opinion ARE more valuable than others, just like some people can jump higher or swim faster than others. That doesn't mean the slower swimmers are bad people, it just means they're slower swimmers. That's all.
It's this bullshit political correctness that has brainwashed people into thinking that everyone is the same and we all have the same abilities, and we're all equal in every way, we're all worth the same, etc etc etc. Guess what? We're not.
My plumber is a great guy, a hell of a good person, and very skilled at what he does. But it'll be a cold day in hell before I let him do open-heart surgery on me. He's NOT equal in this area. His opnions are NOT as "valuable", when it comes to medical advice, period. No offense to him, and it doesn't mean he's not a good person...it just means his opinion isn't worth as much in this instance.
Now, my plumber plays a lot better game of golf than my doctor, so if I wanted golfing advice I'd go to him, not my doctor, no matter how many degrees my doctor has on his wall. Are my doctor's opinions on golf as "valuable" as my plumber's? Nope, they aren't. Cry all you want about how unfair it is or how elitist I am, or how I don't regard everyone as equal, etc etc. (blah, blah, blah) The fact is I live in the real world, where I need real information and real results- not what someone *thinks* should be the result or what someone's *opinion* of what the result "should be".
Let's take judges: You think judges "value" your opinion as much as Mr. Weasel Attorney standing next to you? No, they do not. Should they? Maybe, but all things considered, probably not. Mr. Weasel Attorney went to Law School. Did you? If not, your *opinion* on the law does not AND SHOULD NOT carry as much weight as someone who has. Is this unfair? Maybe, but that's the way it is. That's reality. (Personally, I *don't* think it's unfair- I think it makes perfect, logical sense.)
Soooooo.....I *will* pay more heed to someone who has a track record of being involved in the subject at hand. That DOESN'T mean I won't consider someome else's opinion or think it's not valuable, just that I'll *probably* value it less than the other, more involved person's opinion. And that's the way it should be. If you disagree, please schedule your next physical with your plumber or gardener. Do not go to your doctor, because your gardener's opinions are just as valuable, right?
If you have a sudden, terible pain in your chest, don't call the paramedics- ask your interior decorator to stop by and see what *he* thinks is wrong. Remember, his opinions are "just as valuable"!
Now I'm sure that some people will go to great lengths to misunderstand me. Don't waste your time, because I don't care. You aren't going to change the way I think. If you don't like it, so be it, but don't bother telling me how "wrong" I am, or you'll just be proving my point. I'll entertain thoughtful discussion on this topic if anyone wants to actually discuss it instead of flaming me, but I'm not going to waste my time on anyone who writes back to tell me how "wrong" I am, or how unfair my views are. My views are the result of tens of thousands of real-life experiences, not the result of watching television or going to some politically-correct, thought-inhibiting factory like college.
