Epiphany # 627 - Opinions

You know them all very well. Rush Limbaugh, Anne Coulter, José Boveé, Micheal Moore. They yell loud and write dirty. And for what reason? Well, for the number one reason we talk about politics or religion at all. We desperately want our opinions to be known.

And why? For some, it could be that they genuinely believe that their ideas are the best. However, as I discussed in my first blog, all morality is relative. Everything you believe is only true for you. Therefore, when you announce your position, you are just letting someone know. "I like yellow! And guns!"

Perhaps we realize that we may be able to bring others to our cause, moving what I like to call the Morality Bell Curve, or MBC, so that we might be closer to its middle. What is the MBC? Well, if morality is relative, then everyone is technically correct to themselves. While you cannot determine what is right or wrong, you can accurately judge a populations morality by plotting every one's beliefs on a curve. For each situation, plot how an American feels, with one end being "for" and the other "against". What you have will look something like this:

Now, no point within that curve is correct, however the majority will always decide how a country deals with issues (or at least should anyway, whether through voting, coup, or revolution). Let's use abortion for an example. The abortion MBC is like this, and you are here:

You are off to one side but still solidly in the middle. Therefore you should be rather satisfied with how your nation deals with the abortion situation. However, let us say that instead you are on a tail, here:

You are generally dissatisfied with the situation, and are calling for change. How do you enact that change? The only sustainable way is by changing minds. By changing the opinion of the public, you can bring the MBC closer to where you stand. This may be the reason that people love talking about their beliefs. They want to convince us.

Or perhaps pundits just like to talk, it is very possible. Good for them, the Morality Bell Curve by definition will always have outliers, those beyond the 95% core of the bell. These areas are called "tails", and it is the tail people who always make the most noise. Pundits themselves are not tails I believe, but take a tail stance on issues to get themselves ratings. Even someone well inside the MBC would be interested in hearing a tail argument, if just to say, "That's crazy!"

Well, interracial marriage was crazy not too long ago, and before that it was cool to marry your twelve year old cousin. Things change, and they do so because the MBC moves. And the MBC doesn't just move back and forth, it also narrows and widens. As a nation develops, the curve expands. If a nation is under restrictive rule, the curve shrinks. Who knows where our MBC will be in twenty years?

To some up, if you want your nation to more accurately reflect your beliefs, you need to do a little campaigning. It is not easy - people are very stubborn about changing their minds. Still, there is a percentage of the public who doesn't hold strong beliefs about certain subjects, and would be happy for some information with which to make a choice. Wars between pundits are fought on the battlefields of your minds. There is no chance for peace, as long as there is the curve.

Now, if you will excuse me, I'll get back to reading Micheal Moore. There's really nothing like hearing your beliefs come from someone else!