Misguided Opinions Essay

Improved Essays
Media is taking over as Americans’ primary source of information; we need to face that this ‘information’ is, for the most part, opinions, not facts. But, these opinions aren’t meaningless. When it comes to opinions, Americans should consider them, but also be careful to not unquestioningly accept them. Avoiding biased and misguided opinions may be challenging now that opinions are often being used as facts, but it is possible to use opinions to help make decisions. Anyone can express an opinion and anyone can read an opinion, whether celebrity, politician, or ordinary citizen. These opinions from all different sources are almost always worthwhile, but their democratic value is conditional depending on their effect on our country’s stability. …show more content…
Yet, there is a point where we need to draw a line; some opinions are too radical and put the stability of our country in too much jeopardy to even consider. Imagine this: you’re back in high school and the popular girl tells you your shirt is hideous. Do you ever wear the shirt again? For most, the answer would be ‘no’: they let her opinion completely change theirs. This complete transformation of opinion becomes a problem when it’s not revolving around a shirt, but a person’s life. Domestic terrorism is becoming an increasingly prominent issue due to American’s being radicalized by opinions of ISIS and other terrorist groups over the internet. This simple sharing of opinions is thought to have radicalized the San Bernardino shooters, who killed 14 innocent Americans, while they resided in America. Though it is rare and is more simple than one person saying ‘Americans deserve to die’ and another immediately agreeing, the problem of radicalized Americans is causing the loss of American lives. Our country’s stability and safety is completely threatened by domestic terrorism, so we cannot afford to have any radical opinions considered by anyone. If an opinion can lead to the end of a life, we need to draw the line and prevent the opinion from

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds In a world filled with alternative facts, where individuals are often force fed (sometimes false) information, Elizabeth Kolbert wrote “Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds” as a culmination of her research on the relation between strong feelings and deep understanding about issues. Her article articulates, and confirms, her belief that opinions are often formed with little to no factual backing, especially in today’s society, which proves to be a problem in a society filled with political agendas. Kolbert’s argument follows a convenient structure that moves from argument to argument, building on and drawing from previous arguments to further main idea. She explains her main ideas, chronologically as follows:…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Polarization In Congress

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In recent years, Congress has become increasingly polarized in terms of partisanship. The definition of partisan polarization is the separation of the two major parties as they move towards more severe issue positions. In other words, the members of Congress – both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate – tend to be either extremely liberal (corresponding to the Democratic party), or extremely conservative (corresponding to the Republican party). There are currently few members of the U.S. Congress that consider themselves to be moderates. Political scientists and journalists alike have speculated on why this phenomenon is occurring now, and some theories claim that this polarization is a return to the “natural” state of government,…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “Limiting Democracy: The American Media’s World View, and Ours” written by Glenn Greenwald, Greenwald explains the issues in American media that skew citizens views about the world, beliefs about certain countries, and cultural biases. Greenwald argues that “[Americans] all have an inherent resistance to believing that our own understanding of the political world is … limited.” This is due to the fact that the American media leaves so much out of the public’s eye that we don't think there is anything else worth discovering about the other side. The information American citizens are subject to, are made to help us feel proud of our country and think poorly of a differing one. This narrow view of world events is dangerous to the public because…

    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    "On a constitutional foothold, the first amendment is a minefield of dead ends for what seems to be most legislation. Demonstrated by the recent uproar over net neutrality, our internet-driven society has led us to keep our first amendment rights under lock and key. Anything otherwise would be largely irresponsible of our government's constitutional duties. Society, after all, no longer lives in a world of just paper and pen. However, at the precise moment content online trespasses beyond the grotesque and profane limits we're used to – when we start to see sparks leading to terrorism and chatter of the slumbering beast that is Nazism – we should be compelled by our own moral virtues to rush forward and say, ""Stop.…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    In 1791, the bill of rights was ratified, included within it, the first amendments to the constitution. Which protected the freedom of speech, press, peaceful assembly, religion, and petition. It destroyed the old system of complete governmental control and allowed the press to openly critique the state and those who ran the state. The media became the bridge crossing the gap between rulers and ruled, protected by the foundational law of the country. After two hundred and twenty five years, as well as countless technological innovations later the way news is presented has changed.…

    • 1687 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The future of our nation and our democracy depends upon the next generation of electorates. In the ABC documentary An Uneducated Electorate Promotes Democracy's Demise by John Stossel, Richard Dreyfus discusses how uninformed, apathetic, and uninterested electorates will ultimately lead to the demise of the United States’ form of democracy. Moreover, the fault also lies in current cable shows that misinform the majority of impressionable and easily manipulated electorates. As the foundation of our government lies within the citizens, an incognizant electorate will jeopardize and threaten our democracy. Education plays a part in the foundation of democracy.…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Imagine another terrorist attack as traumatic as 9/11, the U.S. might have the greatest military power in the history of the world, but threats and attacks like those on 9/11 are always a concern to the U.S. and its allies. Terrorist attacks are a real threat because they are hard to prevent, they are carefully planned and carefully executed. ISIS is the largest and most powerful terrorist the U.S. has ever dealt with. In recent discussions of Islamic Terrorism, a controversial issue has been whether The U.S. shouldn’t intervene with ISIS and other forms of Islamic terrorism. On the one hand, some argue that the U.S. should intervene and stop Islamic Extremism from this perspective, ISIS’s primary target is the U.S. homeland and critics…

    • 1213 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Argument Essay

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the articles “Three Cheers for the Nanny State,” “Ban the Ban!,” and “Soda’s a Problem but…”, all three authors present their arguments with facts, opinions, and counterclaims. However, one article presents itself better than the rest. I believe that the article “Soda’s a Problem, but...” was the most convincing article. Sarah Conly- the author who wrote “Three Cheers for the Nanny State”- argues that the soda restriction is a good idea because people would be stopped from making foolish decisions that they’ll pretty definitely regret.…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Susan Jacoby’s essay, “How Dumb Can We Get?” she questions why Americans are becoming less literate and what factors contribute to the lack of awareness in political and cultural issues (261). Jacoby deliberates on the severity of the national crisis presented because of the dullard, irrational citizens of society (262). University students mock their learning experiences by doing the bare minimum and still managing to obtain a college degree, Jacoby assures (260). Jacoby believes that education should not accommodate everyone in regards to simplicity nor convenience but rather students should rely more on reading to simplify their achievements (260).…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A lone gunman killed three people and wounded nine others in a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana. Police identify the man as John Russell Houser, a 59-year old with a criminal history. ourt records show a history of mental illness, erratic behavior from Houser. Police described the man as a “out-of-state drifter” and could not find a clear reason he targeted the particular movie theater and the romantic comedy Trainwreck. One possible reason is that Trainwreck is written by feminist comedian Amy Schumer.…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Argumentative Essay of Shadow Catcher In the foreword to Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian, Pulitzer Prize winning Native American author N. Scott Momaday posits that, "in the hands of an extraordinary artist", photography can cease to be the "static record" of a moment in time and transcend to a "deeper level" of artistic understanding. Momaday makes these claims when discussing the work of renowned photographer Edward S. Curtis, who spent his lifetime perfecting the art of photography while capturing images of Native Americans. Upon examining Edward S. Curtis's photographic work and the effects of photography on American culture, one can clearly see that Momaday's claims of photography carrying not just a medial…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Plato’s Allegory of the Cave brings to fore the ramifications of experiencing life through a restricted lens. The story paints a decidedly bleak portrait of human beings trapped within the confines of a cave since birth, where the shadows of outsiders casted upon the walls craft their perception of reality. One of the men eventually manages to break free, and ventures out from his two-dimensional prison and into the real world; as he adjusts to this new environment, he realizes that the truth that he had known for his life differed significantly from the real truth. Eager to share this discovery, he returns to the cave and attempts to explain his observations, only to be met with denial and death threats. Despite the story’s age, its relevance…

    • 1855 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the U.S., votes on propositions, polls, and even the election of the President are influenced by campaigns put on by candidates and even average citizens. A campaign is an organized course of action to achieve a particular goal (Oxford, 2015). All throughout history, propaganda has been adopted as a way to manipulate the opinions of masses. Propaganda is chiefly derogatory information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view (Oxford, 2015). In more recent years, propaganda has been used to sway voters to vote for a specific person or view.…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Argumentative Essay: Flaws of the Education System There are inherent flaws within the education system which we use today pushes students far beyond their limits and it lacks emphasis on practical skill. Schools create a needlessly high stress environment basing their future upon numbers and grades rather than teaching and refining their practical skills. Lots of potential is flushed out of the curriculum due to college and high schools insisting that students must be able to juggle advance courses, maintain high unweighted GPAs, and participate in extracurricular activities in order to succeed in the future; hence, repairing and recognizing the inherent flaws of the education system is crucial to ensure that students earn the future that…

    • 1394 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Everyone has time to be healthy Freshman 15 is an expression used to describe an arbitrary amount of weight students put on in their first year of post secondary studies, usually due to unhealthy eating and poor exercise habits. Students say they struggle finding a balance between work, leisure, and maintaining healthy habits, leading to a lack of exercise, and poor nutrition. These complaints are clearly caused by a lack of intrinsic motivation and a growing status quo of complacency, rather than actual time constraints. Despite the vast number of home workouts that one can complete in under ten minutes, students will still excuse themselves from any form of physical activity, in favour of inactive alternatives. The problem is further pushed…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays