Being smart and opinionated doesn’t necessarily mean that you have smart opinions. And this is something that we should all keep in mind as we attempt to navigate a hyper-connected, fame-obsessed world drowning in information. At least, that’s my opinion…I’ll explain.
Most of us grew up in a time when we were taught that some very specific attributes demonstrated credibility regarding intellectual matters, and we were encouraged to look and act “the part.” Everything from movies to school told us that being quick-witted, well-groomed, and charismatic were good proxies for being right. The person who spoke the soonest, or loudest, or most confidently was probably the one we should listen to, right?
This paradigm worked out great if you happened to be tall, handsome (obviously male), and outgoing. As a young person, I was sharp and outspoken (probably better described as precocious), and because I made good grades and was a strong athlete, my peers, and even my teachers, mostly took my opinions at face value. Not a bad deal for me, but clearly not ideal for others.
I can remember going to the Soldier of the Quarter boards while I was at West Point and being drilled on military knowledge and leadership scenarios. In a 10-minute “interview,” I would be asked about various heritage items, weapons systems, and tactical concepts. For some of the questions, I knew the correct answer. But for others, I would simply stand there, in my perfect pressed uniform and highly-shined boots, and give the wrong answer confidently…and for the most part, it worked!
The first and very obvious problem with this kind of thinking is that these simple proxies almost completely ignore those who fall outside of the very narrow stereotype. For generations, the opinions of women, introverts, people of color, poor people, anyone with a southern accent, everybody under 5’9”...(you get it) went mostly overlooked. There have been exceptions to this rule, but the notable examples are too few, which often came at a high cost.
The second, and perhaps bigger, problem is that we’ve mostly given a pass to those who DO fit the stereotype, readily believing business leaders, politicians, and TV personalities who deliver more sizzle than substance but sound good doing it. And perhaps worst of all, we have collectively come to believe that being strong-minded, fast-talking, and forceful was the best way for our positions to gain traction, and that is unfortunate because our current world really needs us to be thoughtful, nuanced, principled, and inclusive.
So how do we go about gathering valuable information, and sharing our opinions, while avoiding some of these pitfalls?
This is not going to be an easy dynamic to turn around. With most cable news shifting to “info-tainment” and the prominence of social media, we’ve all been trained to have, and consume, hot takes. I know that I have felt the urge to weigh in on a topic or share something about a social issue because that’s what everyone else seems to be doing. I’m a reasonably sharp guy and I can speak into a camera, so the pull is always there to chase the news cycle and say something pithy or sarcastic on social media. I could even justify doing so because it may help me to build an audience and grow our business. But I also know that me throwing another over-simplified, half-informed opinion into the hopper isn’t going to help us to truly understand and improve the situation.
So, the advice I’ve been giving myself–and I’ll offer you here–is to pay really close attention to both the opinions that you offer and consume. It’s worth being deliberate and discerning about our inputs and outputs as we approach complex topics. As the great Richard Feynman once said, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”
When collecting opinions, try to look beyond the usual suspects to gain perspective on an issue. Ask questions of those who don’t readily speak up. Have a healthy skepticism for any explanation that seems dismissive or overly simplistic. Don’t allow likability and familiarity to lull you into giving someone a pass. And for goodness sake, don’t latch on to the first smart-sounding, convincing thing that you hear on a subject.
When offering opinions, ask yourself a few questions, like: Why do I feel compelled to speak/write about this? Do I know what I’m talking about? Have I really considered this? Who benefits from me sharing this opinion?
If we can just put a little space between what we hear and what we believe, and a little more space between what we think and what we say, I think we can all be better informed and better equipped to handle complexities of today’s world. Good luck out there friends. We know that there is a lot to sort through. Your opinion matters. Make it count.
