Part of what makes a blogger’s job easy is being opinionated. Having an opinion about an issue creates a plethora of inspiration from which to draw. You get an opinionated person on a roll about something, and the words keep flowing. (That was putting it nicely.)
I, on the other hand, have the opposite problem. I am pretty neutral about most things; ask my husband. It can drive him batty sometimes because I don’t have much to say in response to his attempts at conversation. But, in addition to my blah-dom being an innate condition, I’ve been burned one too many times by people who aren’t afraid to voice their opinions. In my eyes, it’s not very attractive if it alienates one set of people just for being themselves.
Now, I’m not saying you should remain quiet about people who are breaking the law, being abusive, or are being just plain jerks. Some behaviors are obviously inexcusable. Yet, why bash someone for not being a particularly neat person? Why judge a person for not believing the same principles you believe? I guess if I had a strong opinion about something, it would be about people who have strong opinions and loudly voice them at the cost of someone’s dignity.
My second opinion that I hold firmly to is lack of attention to the English language. I guess that’s what makes me a good proofer. Seeing a web page full of grammatical choices that were obviously overlooked is like chewing on paper to me. It makes me cringe. Now, I’m not judging the person who made those errors – I understand that English grammar rules don’t come naturally to every person. We all have our own strengths. But I am passionate about the need for businesses to pay attention to the image they portray in their online content. I am baffled by billboard signs, newspaper headlines, or even hastily-painted garage sale signs that contain spelling or grammatical errors. I’m not talking about the tiny long-forgotten rules of where to put all the commas. It’s the commonly used words and sentence structure! What is the purpose of having guidelines for a language if they’re not followed?
Yet, even as I’m expressing my opinion regarding a small issue such as grammar, I’m feeling nervous about it. I REALLY hate to rock the boat! I would rather offer up my help to solve this self-perceived problem. Maybe that’s why I don’t nurture any beginnings of opinions elsewhere. I know I don’t have a solution, so I keep my mouth shut – unless it has to do with my children – solution or no solution. But that’s another blog page all to itself!
I’m not so naïve to think that I don’t have opinions – I just don’t have them on the tip of my tongue – until I get agitated at the lady in the quiet jury assembly room who thinks it’s an honor for all 400 of us to hear her phone conversation. (Yes, that’s where I am. In a place where I’m about to give my opinion – but based on the facts.)
Hmmm, for a topic about having nothing to say, this has been my longest post!
At the risk of exposing myself to your opinions, what is your opinion about opinions?
