Opinions

Opinions are important and its important that people educate themselves so that they form the best opinions that will serve everyone....but there is more.

Recently I saw on T.V. a program where they discussed the value of Hip Hop music. They talked about how it began and how it was used in ways that were a positive influene and ways that were a negative influence.

What really caught my attention was when they talked about how the people who recorded and listened to this music were living a life that, before this music came along, was not expressed anywhere. I thought that it was a good point that weather what the music decribed was good or bad, alot of important issues never get addressed until someone acknowleges that its happening. Its like if people never have to look at something, they can pretend that it isnt happening.

(Note: Glorifying what is bad, is never good. However, this post is not about weather Hip Hop music is either good or bad. It is just something I am using as an example.This is not a debating blog or a debating post.)

Not only can this lack of acknowlegement make things worse, but its never good when people are living one way and are reminded all the time in newspapers, T.V., etc. that their way of life is never represented, so they believe that in the larger scheme of things, its really not important. This can contribute to peoples feelings about their own worth.

Art and music has a long tradition of giving people a voice that they never had otherwise. However, just like with politics and religion, being able to learn of others opinions about things can help a person form more educated opinions.....this can lead to public power....However, there is something about this that has always bothered me....

Public power does not make anyone a better or more worthy person and neither does aquiring any means to it. Therefore, an educated opinion....published, debated, or otherwise can be very valuable but it does not make any person more valuable or worthy and I continue to believe that this is an important thing to remember.

Better treatment of autistics, better ways of seeing autistics, disability rights, neurodiversity, etc. ....all these things are very important to me. Also being a part of a community where everyone becomes better educated, where I become better educated and can do more good.... and even where people read opinions and debate opinions to create better educated opinions for everyone.... this is very important to me. How is this done so that valid opinions or even better opinions are not seen as what makes a person more or less valid or valuable AS a person.... This is something Im still working on....I think its important.