General Chat

Thankyou Heather!! who knows maybe one day i will give up!! but it's got to be because i want to and not because i have been ordered to!! Love Helenxx

Think your opinions are pretty much in line with the average person and the mainly silent authority. (who normally go unrecognised) The problem sometimes is that when I see something as black or white. there are always a few people who don,t, and they are willing to argue their case - generally, but not always, in a proper manner. That,s just the way things are, and probably rightly so. Happy days

How can you debate something without both sides of the arguement? Lucia is young ( to use an example)- the opinions she holds/values she hold now may well change as she matures/grows/experiences life. That is what growing up is all about. Would i advocate to my children - i dont have any incedentally- to do as i did as a teen /young adult? dont know! my ideals/views have changed, and if you have only ever ONCE thought back to something your parent said and thought about it and even wondered if they were maybe right, (although you disagreed at the time)then you to have 'grown' in your 'thought process' as no doubt all youngers will. Jess x

Paul I hope you don't think I was implying she was picked on. That's certainly not what I meant :-)

What needs to be remembered on this discussion board is that NOBODY's opinion is more important than anyone else's. Nobody takes precedence here, we're all on an equal footing, and if Lucia or anyone else expresses an opinion that most others disagree with, it doesn't mean that they are wrong and the majority is right. For many years now, I've believed that there are no rights or wrongs, just differences of opinion. That's not something I read or was told - it's my own conclusion, reached after a lifetime's experience of meeting people from all classes, races, religions, and 'walks of life', reading books and articles on religion, philosophy and psychology, and considering people's motivation and behaviour. I've listened to many an expression of passionately held views and considered them alongside my own, and I don't follow anyone else's path, I create my own. These days, it seems that truth can be whatever an individual believes it to be. Discussing various issues with people on this board, and watching others' discussions in which I've taken no part, has strengthened my belief that discussion of sensitive issues will always lead to some people's views being dominant and others' views being rubbished. It's just human nature, and some people feel more strongly about certain issues. That doesn't mean that 'Might is RIght'. It doesn't mean that a vociferous minority should prevent less strident voices being heard. Whoever you are, DON'T be put off expressing your own views if you want to. You have as much right to do so as anyone else. Lucia has always seemed to me to be a level-headed young lady who thinks a great deal. She may be young, but that doesn't mean her views aren't valid. Maybe she hasn't had the chance yet to experience many things that older people have and her views may change later, but I for one have encountered plenty of older people who appear to have learned very little from life and just go along with the views they've been taught to hold or views they]ve absorbed by association with more dominant characters or read/watched from various media. Lucia is at a key stage in her life, with major exams looming. From what I've seen of her, she'll go far. From what I've seen of some people on this board, they'll never go far enough! CB >|<

Oh dear - poor Lucia will be getting a complex. I dont believe that Helen has aimed this thread at Lucia nor any other 'one individual' .............. I believe her 'objection' was to the opinion voiced that smokers have no human rights.

I think that sometimes people get a bit carried away and passionate about their opinions, but I don't think anyone means any harm by it. There are certain things that I just would not debate on here, because I feel so strongly and passionately about them that I know I would get worked up and carried away with what I was saying, and then feel bad that I might have offended someone. Perhaps some things are better left unsaid? We all have different opinions and are all equally entitled to them - what a boring place the world would be if we all thought the same. Kaye x

I once heard someone say 'Opinions are like belly-buttons. Everyone's got one and they are worth nothing'. But people should have the right to express their opinions and to have them heard, whether or not they disagree with them. That's the fundamental principle of a free country. IfI upset anyone by asking what 'right' it is that people have to smoke, sorry, but I am not aware that there is any such right enshrined in our unwritten constitution. I did not mean that smokers do not have rights. The problem in a democracy is balancing everyone's rights. nell

not sure what thread is being referred to here but as far as I am aware Lucia has enjoyed the 'DEBATE' and not felt vicitmised for holding an opinion! xx

so if everyone has the right to an opinion and has the right to be heard, no one has any objection to this thread!!!!!!! You see Helen i do not agree with you, every does not have the right to be heard at all espesially(spelling) when the one doing all the voicing is making sure they are loud and clear and everyone elses opinion is put down and i do not agree with such politics on a board where everyone should feel comfortable. This debate has nothing to do with anything Lucia has said, Helen

I'm seeing a bit of contradiction here at times a) everyone is entitled to voice an opinion b) we shouldn't voice our opinion 'I sometimes think we shuoldn't express our views wholeheartedly' which is it to be ?

Trevor, she's right, you really should check your facts before you tell someone else they're wrong. Some punctuation wouldn't go amiss either.

*yawns* Trevor - Is it really necessary to bring up the 'clique' issue?

DM, you're absolutely right. You don't generally get name calling from me. Once, that I'm aware of, I told someone absolutely what I thought of them. I still think I was right on that occasion !

I agree Bec, every time there's a whiff of heat in a debate, someone throws in 'click' (sic). it's all rubbish. I for one speak my mind on any given subject, no matter who I'm discussing it with.

Hi Helen,I always respect yours and everyone elses opinion, I dont think I try to make people believe In my beliefs,I just love a good debate,and love to see everyones opinions:-)) xxx

Hi Roxanne, I love a good debate, i just dont want it to cause any trouble!! i have had some very good responses to this thread and although i was a bit worried i am glad i posted it!! It's lovely to see you Roxanne!! Love Helenxx

I'm with roxanne.... and Helen you've created another debate so well done you!!

*Proudly kisses her 'Moorons Click' Badge'

i dont always feel the need to justify my opinions- we are all of our own opinion and that is what makes us what we are. I could justify why i think gay and lesbians are okay people, i shouldn't need to. but i could justify why I think abortion is wrong BUT it may not be wrong for the person that had it/was about to have it - kind of saying that there often isnt a right and wrong. jess