By: Carol Maxym Ph.D
Lots and lots of talk about the “punishment” meted out to
Patriots’ QB Tom Brady. Lots and lots of
opinions on whether the “punishment” is just, unjust, too terrible, not
terrible enough.
This morning’s TV news
was conducting a poll on watchers’ opinion on the appropriateness of the
“punishment.” I just have to put the
word into quotation marks because I can’t see how missing four games is a
punishment for potentially lying, manipulating, and disappointing people who
believed in him, teaching kids covertly if not overtly that winning is more
important than honor… But then, that’s just my opinion.
And there’s the problem.
Opinions. I am going to say
something outlandish. We have too many
opinions these days. Too many opinions
based on very little or false data.
There is an opinion poll out every day on everything from punishments
for Quarterbacks to Global Warming to favorite candidate.
Opinions, per se are a part of our democracy. Well and good. But shouldn’t one take the trouble to be well
informed before forming an opinion?
Shouldn’t one need to be able to support one’s opinion beyond “I just
feel that way”?
During the news broadcast I watched this morning, in the
course of the reporting—maybe five minutes but probably only about three
minutes—opinions changed and more people were saying that Brady’s “punishment”
was unfair than at the beginning of the segment. So, reporting from one reporter for a minute
or so changed people’s opinions.
Here’s a question to consider: If there had been an opinion poll about D-Day
on June 1, 1944,, how many people would have thought it a good idea? 24 hours
into it, what percentage of people would have thought it well planned or likely
to succeed? Fortunately, no data exists
for those fantasy opinion polls because none were taken.
Things have changed.
A lot. Now one is expected to
have and say opinions about just about everything—with very little data to
support those opinions. We all know that
we seek to hear the “facts” that we like, whether they be facts or not, and we
form opinions based upon…well, other people’s opinions masquerading as facts
but presented as truth.
So what does this have to do with raising kids? A lot, I think, because kids growing up in a
world where having an ill-informed or un-informed opinion begin to think that’s
normal, ok, intelligent, expected. Let’s
take that a step further. Kids are
taught very little in school these days about the difference between fact and
opinion. My experience is that kids
hardly know the difference.
So, what to think about?
Well, am I wrong or right or almost right or mainly wrong but sort of
right? How are you forming your
opinion? What opinions have your
children expressed to you in the last day or two? Are they supported by facts or just by
wanting things to be so? In school is
your child being taught the difference between fact and opinion. What do you think: Is it more important for your child to learn
the difference between fact and opinion or to learn about “self-esteem”? Think about it.
