Word: opinionizing
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Although--or perhaps because--I manufacture opinions for a living, I am always amazed at the things people are willing to express opinions about. Is the "surge" working? Is there likely to be a terrorist attack in the next few months? Are "most of the insurgents in Iraq today ... under the command of Osama bin Laden"? These are not matters of opinion. The correct answer may be unknown (e.g., the success of the surge), or it may be known perfectly well (e.g., bin Laden does not control most of the Iraqi insurgents), but one thing the correct answer...
...opinion polls, citizens are treated like gods, dispensing or withholding their "approval" on any basis they wish or none at all. They may give a President a green light to go to war (not that Bush needed it) and then condemn him for going when it turns out badly. Just after 9/11, Bush's approval rating was as high as 90%. Only 5% disapproved. In the spring of 2003, when Bush launched the war, deposed Saddam Hussein, occupied Iraq and declared victory, public approval of his conduct of the Iraq "situation" rarely dipped below 70%. As the "situation" went south...
Ninety percent of the electorate once approved of Bush's "handling" of terrorism. Now only 39% approve. That means at least 51%, or more than half of all Americans, used to support Bush on terrorism but don't anymore. You might say they have decided they were wrong, but opinion-poll democracy requires no such self-criticism. Political opinions are like old-fashioned airline tickets, with no change penalty...
...more credit for, you know, being the puppeteer than I am. I express my opinion. Honestly, I'm not the decision maker.' ELIZABETH EDWARDS, wife of former Senator John Edwards, responding to speculation that she is a controlling force behind her husband's presidential-campaign decisions...
More troubling is that my awkwardness with the language echoes my general ignorance about certain Chinese issues. When asked about my opinion of Chinese-Taiwanese relations—a popular question since my parents emigrated from Taiwan—I have neither the knowledge nor cultural finesse to give a satisfactory answer. I’m continually reminded that identity is not just who you think you are but must also encompass the perceptions of others. Telling the people I meet here I’m American won’t change my ignorance of my family?...