My Opinion on Opinions

     So I recently got into an argument with dad about politics, sexual orientation, and all sorts of other controversial issues that our world today faces. My dad seems to think that he is very informed and knowledgeable about, well, everything. So our heated argument helped me come to this conclusion: there is a difference between having an opinion and being a prick.
     Having an opinion means that you have done at least a little looking into the facts of the issue. Now I'm not saying that if you think a yo yo is cool, you meed to look up the consumer reports and see if you're opinion is indeed shared by the masses. What i am saying is that if you think abortion is wrong in every circumstance, or you think that people who like the same sex choose to live that way because they want attention, or you treat someone differently based on the color of their skin, your opinion is most likely deluded. I invite you to open up your mind, read a few UNBIASED news articles, look at some cold hard facts, or talk to experts in the field of study. And then if your opinion is still what it was, you now have facts to back up your opinion and you are no longer a prick. 
     Another thing that separates those that are opinionated from pricks is that opinionated people are 98% of the time willing to listen to other peoples opinions without shoving their own down any throats, or immediately denouncing the opinions of others as stupid, ridiculous, or wrong just because its a different way of seeing the issue. 
    So its time for a life lesson to come out of this. Here are my words of wisdom for the night: listen to each other, because you never know what someone has to offer until you truly and wholeheartedly listen to what they have to say. Maybe, just maybe, that person is the missing piece to your puzzle.

Goodnight, and as one of my idols, Ellen DeGeneres always says, 

be kind to one another!