Okay heres the deal. I have a friend at school not really good friend but we're still friends. He is obsessed with his view that homosexuality is a choice and not just the way someone is. I'm not out so i guess he isn't necessarily trying to be nasty or anything but every time i say that what he saying isn't true and he doesn't really know. When i try to say that he says "This is my opinion and i'm entitled to it so i can say it to everyone if i want". I know that it's no excuse for what he saying but i was wondering if anyone could help me. Now i don't know what to say! Please anything would help. I just want him to get a better idea of my side.
Oh yeah i forgot to say i think in this arguement i need help because i think the word "choice" makes it sound as if it's a curse wither way. i don't though.
Waitingsucks, first of all, welcome to the EC board! :smilewave (&&&) Here's what I think: the "opinion" statement ("It's my oppinion. if you don't like it, you don't have to talk to me", or the like) is simply a convenient way for people to get away from having to deal with the debate or the fact that they might just be outright wrong with what they are presenting; while the person postulating their stance and/or point of view considers the possibility of being wrong (and maybe even fear it), as long as he or she can label his or her statement an "opinion", everything is alright. The problem with this back-up plan is that the person is trying to make a statment that's based on fact an opinion, and it just doesn't work that way. Whether or not homosexuality is a choice is not a matter of opinion, but a matter of fact: there is a definite answer. It could be that being gay is not a choice, or that it is, or that it's both depending on the individual situation. So the "opinion" is simply not there for your aquainteance to hide behind, because it's just straight-out non-existent and false. He's either right, or he's wrong. You don't have to tell him that in person, but just for your personal note, you can remember that the next time he verbalizes his "opinion" and calls it that. As for the word choice, I'm not quite comprehending the problem. Do you mind explaining it to me in slightly more detail?
I agree LowestVocals. There are some things that simply can't come down to opinion. EG: Me:Is the world a sphere? Someone else:No, In my opinion, it is a flat disc carried on the backs of four elephants who are balancing on the back of a huge turtle, carrying them across a triangular chess board on the way to infinity. But that's just my opinion. M: *hits other person* I think there's a lot of phrases/words that people hide behind and it annoys me, like when people say "No offense". Obviously if you have to say that, then you are most probably going to cause offense, whether you intend to or not. I dunno, it just frustrates me. ....But that's just my opinion
thanks for all that. i realise the bad wording now but i was trying to say that he was using choice in a way saying that if it was it was an imoral or bad one. thanks for that lowestvocals you really understood and davo-man i completely agree with you heaps of people hide behind words on any topic like saying "Can't you take a joke" or "I really don't mean to offend"
I'd reply either "For a joke it wasn't exactly funny..." or "Well keep this in mind for next time, and then you won't offend again." to the stuff they say when they're getting defensive. As for the 'choice to be straight' thing, I tend to reply "Do you think so little of me and my level of common sense that if I had a choice, I'd choose to spend my life dodging prejudice?"
Lol, nice one. Anyway, maybe point out to him that it cannot possibly be a conscious choice, as homosexuality is displayed in countless species of mammals including dolphins, various monkeys, mice, and dogs (and probably other types of animals, too). Furthermore, why would there be some sets of identical twins where one is overtly gay and the other is purely straight, even when they are reared and raised together and given impartial treatment?
Coincidentally, in one of the other current threads, there's a political discussion going on with very similar circumstances, except in that case the catch phrase being thrown around is, "Show me proof." Everyone who's said it so far is correct. In a case like this where someone is saying, "It's my opinion," is simply doing it as a cop-out so they can be a dick and not feel bad about it. LowestVocal hit this one right on the head.
I'm actually intending to write out a little scoring system for debates. It's primarily for evangelicals, and such types. They tend to think I murder babies because I've got a ponytail and listen to rock music. Basically, if anyone tries to get me to question my religious beliefs (which are basically, anything's possible, if God's that good then I'll live my life as a nice guy rather than being a specific religion, and then I'll still go to heaven. Or, we'll cease to exist when we die. Who knows?) I'll do the same to them. Turnabout is fair play. If I can get them to say "God works in mysterious ways", tell me I'm a sinner, or make up some fake science, then I score max points. Easy. But yeah, it's a system that can be applied to other arguments, too. Basically, as soon as the person resorts to lying, bare-faced insults or un-answerable statements, then you score points. Work out your own system, and argue with evangelists! It should be fun...
