What it Really Means to Have Your Own Opinion

With the Rangnick circus finally over and nearly forgotten, I thought it might be a good time to address the concept of what it actually means to have your own opinion. Throughout this saga, as well as so many others, I have seen how the influence of ignorance and social media has propagated a sort of blind oblivion where so many Milan fans are content to dwell, without ever using their own minds at all. Or those fans with no convictions of their own, who change opinions with the social media trends like they change their socks. So for today, here is what it really means to have your own opinion.

He knows what it is to have his own opinion

Popular opinion is not always right. A few examples: mullets, the cinnamon challenge, and electing a psychopath for president. Social media is not fact-checked, so if you blindly follow what you read on social media, your opinion will be as wrong as the messages you retweet or repost.

We are taught to believe that the majority rules, which is an incredibly dangerous concept on social media. The number of followers does not equal credibility, nor does a smaller number of followers automatically prove you are wrong. We all started at zero followers. Granted, those with more followers have resonated with more people based on what they share. But is what they share true? Or is it bullying, hatred, ignorance, or something other than the truth? Those with fewer followers may just have fewer followers, but in my experience, there is often a reason they are underfollowed, and it rarely corresponds with truth or human decency. Sadly, neither of those are always popular.

Truth: Gattuso was not fired, he left Milan by mutual consent

Which brings me to the most important point: the difference between opinion and fact. This is something that seems sadly lost on too many people.

Your opinion is what you think or feel about something.

Fact is what is true about something.

There is also the opportunity to have an educated opinion, which is an opinion that is based on evidence or facts. In fact, it is always ideal to base your opinion on as much evidence as possible. An opinion that has no basis in reality is more likely to be challenged, especially on social media, than an opinion that can be supported with information that is accurate.

This is where your sources of information are so important. Football commentators and pundits are definitely not always accurate. Things on social media are rarely fact-checked. A hashtag is not a source. In football, nothing is official until the clubs involved announce it. Even the most respected transfer people are still journalists. The information they share may or may not be accurate, but it is definitely not official, and should never be cited as such.

Maybe he paid for dinner, but he didn't have enough to buy the club

When forming an opinion, there is also a rare component known as objectivity that you can access at any time. It means setting aside your bias or other preconceived ideas that may cloud your judgment to see what is actually happening. For example, if there is a penalty call, can you set aside your club bias and see the call objectively? This is difficult, but not impossible. But when you are able to form an opinion from an objective point of view, chances are your opinion will be more accurate.

Why would you want your opinion to be more accurate? Because your opinion is only as good as the facts it is based on. If you think that your right to your own opinion is the right to say anything you want without consequence, you are wrong. There are always going to be consequences for what we say. Do you want your consequences to be respect and credibility? Or do you want your opinion challenged, with your respect and credibility destroyed? Yes, you can say whatever you want. But that comes with a price. You are the one who chooses if that price is your dignity.

More genius than stable, but not what fans thought he was

Why should you listen to me? Well for one, I have my own opinion. It is not necessarily in accordance with anyone else’s, nor did it come from journalists, pundits, or social media accounts. Whether you agree with it or not, it’s mine, and I have slaved away for over nine years to share it consistently. This body of evidence gives me an extensive source of information that I know whether or not has been sourced and fact-checked. Well, and actually that same resource is available to you, too, it’s all right here.

Secondly, my opinion is often unpopular, but it has turned out that I have actually been right... on a lot of freakishly big issues that a lot of people were not. I was right about Donnarumma. I was right about Yonghong Li. I was right about Giampaolo. I was right about Pioli.I was right about Rangnick. I was right about Calhanoglu. And so many, many more things.

Donnarumma always wanted to stay, despite your abuse

How have I been able to be right so many times? Because I try to research before I jump to conclusions. I know what a good source is, and which sources are not credible. I have paid attention to the past. I use logic and reasoning to take that information and form the most accurate opinion that I can. I do my homework. Sometimes, I even employ objectivity. Does this make me better than anyone else? Absolutely not. However, it does give my opinion more credibility than some. It does mean you can believe what I say. It means that I have conviction, and will stick with my opinion regardless of trends. And that is what it really means to have your own opinion.

This post inspired by the music of Cocteau Twins’ “My Truth”