Differences of opinion?

[kaitaylor]

Can one respect another's right to hold an opinion, stand up for that person's legal right to hold that opinion, but NOT respect the content of that opinion?

[ammonite]

yes
it's hard sometimes, but yes i think you can

[naughtylion]

wha?

[naughtylion]

oh this is the gay guys with brains group. *exits*

[K-loco]

um... isnt that what lawyers do?

[Sinshol]

Can one respect another's right to hold an opinion, stand up for that person's legal right to hold that opinion, but NOT respect the content of that opinion?

Lawyers do it all the time. It's not that hard.

[teletype]

Counsellors/therapists do a version of this.

You can empathise with someone's position, understand why they think or do what they think or do (given who they are and their particular circumstances). But you don't have to agree with what they think or do.

Another example: I fully support the right for people to believe in anything they like, and to say anything they like. But I dont have to agree with or subscribe to their beliefs. Case in point - religious nutters.

[prezben]

I'm pretty sure the constitutions and political systems of many countries are based on the idea of respect for difference of opinion.

I think the key to accepting difference of opinion is realising that there is very few issues that are black and white. No one will ever agree with everything you are saying and if they do that's pretty boring.

I don't know where the quote is from but "opposition is true friendship" rings true for me.

I can respect another's opinion and completely disagree with it at the same time. Its not necessarily easy but it is possible. You just need a functioning brain.... and look where we are :)

[poodlepower007]

I think this is highly dependent on exactly which opinions people are holding and maybe also on how they are acting on those opinions.
If someone thinks 'all gay people should be castrated or shot' then I'm not going to stand up for their legal right to express that opinion. I may be able to forgive them for their opinion if I can learn something of how they've come to this viewpoint, but I'd be pretty keen on 'leading them' to a different understanding. Also, if this person was running around bashing the crap out of gays because of this belief then i'd be pretty keen on some overt intervention into changing their thinking process.

The most interesting thing to me in regard to this issue has more to do with the lack of understanding of where people's opinions sit in their belief system and the confusions between fiction and fact. Think of an inverted triangle (with the pointy bit at the bottom, and divide the triangle into an even thickness of layers. right at the bottom, where there's not much room are true facts - eg: The sun will come up tomorrow. In the top layer where there is plenty of room are opinions and ideas eg: if it rains tomorrow I'm just going to die. In the first instance, if the sun doesn't actually come up tomorrow - well - we're all pretty well buggered. In the second, the chances of dying are pretty slim, and the chances that the idea was ever contemplated with any real conviction are also pretty slim. Everything we think and believe falls somewhere between these two extremes.

My contention is that people get very confused about where their opinions and beliefs actually sit in this framework and its actually this conviction to the importance and factual integrity to certain opinions that has a lot to do with whether I can support someone's expression of them.

for example: I was mind-boggled and quite horrified when masses of people marched across Sydney harbour bridge in support of Shapelle Corby when they really had no way of knowing her innocence or guilt. Look at how adamant people were about their belief in the innocence or guilt of Lindy Champerlain. People in general seem to me to be far too willing to construe opinion for fact and that's where the wheels start falling off any notions I have of unqualified support for respecting everyone's right to their own opinion.

In short (too late for that I hear you say) I think that in practice it is often difficult to support the opinions of others, where as in principle it is a noble notion to aspire to.

[Phazz]

I disagree... or do I? ;)

While I do think this is possible for some people, there would certainly be limitations to this and it would be dependent on the context of the disagreement. Disagreeing with someone's opinion on something such as climate change would be far different to defending a terrorist or a pedophile in court.

[mark_]

.......when masses of people marched across Sydney harbour bridge in support of Shapelle Corby when they really had no way of knowing her innocence or guilt. ..

Um .... i don't remember that. Masses of people marched across Sydney harbour bridge in support of Indigenous "Sorry Day".

But in general. I do agree with you. We in Sydney have lynch mobs suddenly arise whenever a child-killer is identified. And they always start in a particular set of suburbs in Sydney.

[badamj2000]

Melbourne traditionally is much more politically engaged (has a lot more rallies and protests) than blase Sydney.