A lot of people don't really seem to be able to express their opinions effectively. This is a sad thing, because the only way to really understand others is to listen to what they have to say, and if they have trouble expressing their own feelings, understanding them becomes a tricky business. Too many people express themselves with anger. Their opinions are often given in a way which demeans those who disagree with them. This often nettles the other side, in turn, into being nasty right back. Both sides' arguments degenerate into name-calling, and all hope of mutual understanding is lost. If you're going to try to express an opinion, how hard is it to at least be civil about it? Being abrasive isn't really conductive to helping others to understand your point of view. A possibly even more common problem is people who don't give reasons for what they think. They express strong opinions or alliances with a particular school of thought, but neglect to give convincing reasons why they have chosen to think the way they do, giving others no reason to agree with them, and no way to really understand what motivates them. Please, if you're going to try to convince someone, have a good reason for your viewpoint, or you will have a hard time convincing them of anything at all. Too often, I see people (people who should darn well know better) saying things which seem to be said simply for the purpose of shock value, obnoxiousness, or unusuality, without giving any indication of relevance or cause. And of course, the other big which comes up when people discuss opinions is: People who don't listen to what the other person has to say. The odds are highly unlikely that every single opinion you have is absolutely true. Instead of believing they are, try to listen to different opinions so you get some perspective. You might find one which makes more sense than yours, or you might find one which gives you further reason to believe what you already do. Either way, the only way to understand people is to listen. This all seems obvious enough, but how many people really take the time and effort to do these 3 things? Expressing their thoughts in a polite, reason-giving way that also takes into consideration the opposing viewpoints? Sadly, too few. Little wonder, then, that there's so little understanding among people of each other these days. (Although saying "these days" is pretty inappropriate, since none of this is a new phenomenon.)