A screaming match in all caps, an abundance of exclamation points and question marks are accompanied by sarcastic comments and bitter backlash. We are a generation of very opinionated people. Perhaps it is because social media has enabled us to send our opinion to a vast variety of audiences and receive feedback. However, there will always be an opposing commentator. Through social media, it has become increasingly evident that opinions have trouble coexisting.

We all like to think our opinion is the “right” opinion. We reassure ourselves that it is by bringing down the opposing opinions of others in pointlessly heated arguments on computer screens and cellphones. In truth, there is no such thing as a “right” opinion. An opinion is not factual, but rather one individual’s perspective on the world. Telling someone their opinion is wrong through demeaning comments and passive aggressive sarcasm is like telling a fish life is better on land – it is just not how they view things. That does not make them “wrong.” When considering others’ opinions, you must first understand why they feel the way they feel in the first place. Listening to and understanding someone’s opinion through civil conversation is key to respecting opposing viewpoints.

Feminism has been a hot topic on social media recently, and there are constant debates over the “right” kind of feminism or beliefs of a feminist. Scrolling through the multitude of posts on the web, I’ve not only seen examples of women posting “Why I need feminism,” but also women posting “Why I don’t need feminism.” Obviously, these two parties would butt heads, tearing at each other like gnashing dogs, but that does not mean one belief is more correct than the other. Some individuals see problems in the world, and some don’t, it is merely a state of perspective.

Through the anonymous safety of the internet, many people tend to simply spark fires for the sake of having an argument. It is difficult to find an opinion on the web that is not closely trailed by aggressive retaliation of some sort or a disagreeing commentator; perhaps it is because they want to prove someone wrong or prove themselves right. Many people listen to respond, not to understand. That is where the main problem lays, in that people prepare retaliations in their brain before they even consider what the opposer has to offer. People tend to use the shield of anonymity on the internet to express hate and start heated arguments, but in the real world, when people have opposing views, it often leads to insightful debates. You cannot log out of a conversation. You are forced to listen and feel the impact of your opposer’s views.

When you do not have the luxury of a face-to-face debate, in order to understand the opposite side of the equation, ask, “Why do you feel that way?” It may lead you to a fresher perspective on the world in which you see things in a way you hadn’t considered before. It is unreasonable to ask everyone to agree with each other, but we can at least respect each other’s right to have an opinion without feeling the need to argue.