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An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it.

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And open to revision and change

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May 14, 2022Liked by Gurwinder

Great article. It made me think of a quote from Red Green, ca. 2000: "We haven't really improved communication - we've just made it easier for bad ideas to be shared. Before the techno revolution, if you had a theory, you presented it to a friend or a colleague first to see if it had merit. You could limit the embarrassment. Now, if you have a theory, you create a Web site and broadcast it to the world. Life gets very difficult when everybody knows you're an idiot. It's bad enough when it's just your wife."

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May 1, 2022·edited May 1, 2022Liked by Gurwinder

Solid essay man!

The term opinion pageant is dope too, really encapsulates the idea of the essay perfectly

I’ll be honest though, sometimes holding a weakly held opinion is enough for me to evaluate it which then leads to me deciding to disagree with the initial opinion and continue exploring for one that better captures my thinking.

I know that’s probably not the best way to go about it, but I’m constantly working through my thoughts and it’s the process that helps me right now.

Sort of like a hermit crab looking for a properly fitted shell. Hopping from opinion to opinion until I find one that fits well.

It takes a while… and I probably look foolish/ignorant often but it’s how I try to make sense of things

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May 14, 2022Liked by Gurwinder

Great piece. Actions speak louder then words. I am on Substack seeking “truth”. I have lost faith in our corporate media, our Govt, our “elite”. One of my favorite quotes from Lincoln: “Better to remain silent and have them wonder if you are a fool, then open your mouth and confirm it”.

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As a formerly woke person, I can confirm that I did not hold those opinions (solely) for the image; I was genuinely convinced of the things I believed in. But was I well-informed? Far from it.

I believe the reason for wokeness among the young is that they lack maturity and critical thinking, which makes their minds susceptible to emotionally charged takes. Their energy comes from personal injustices, and they genuinely want to improve the world, but they have f-ed up co-relations of problems.

Naval Ravikant has said something to the effect of "when you're young, if you're not woke, you don't have a heart. When you're old, if you're not <whatever is the opposite of woke>, you don't have brains."

Sadly, many of them never become adults.

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If you don't mind me asking, was there a specific moment or event that caused you to become a former woke person, or did it gradually happen over time?

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author

Thankfully, though I was once an ardent leftist, I've never been woke. The strange fixation on race and gender, justified by dishonest manipulation of statistics, always seemed like a needless distraction to me. And when woke activists usurped total control of the mainstream left around 2015-16, the distraction became an obsession, and it was one of the reasons I left the left.

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May 17, 2022·edited May 17, 2022Liked by Gurwinder

People who do not practice self examination suffer the consequences, whether that means not detecting a cancer or continuing to believe your own crap does not stick.

I thoroughly enjoyed your essay, and trust you will continue to pen opinion essays on opinions.

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I can’t think of a specific moment, but I remember being always pissed with humans for ruining the nature, religions for stupidly believing in the thing that “doesn’t exist” and I used to find men like Richard Dawkins brilliant.

I used to think the world is one and there should be no concept of nations with borders. I used to think capitalism is evil and my idea of a good system was what I later learned was called communism.

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Intelligent people can often mistake their opinions or beliefs to be infallible are guilty of drinking their own tainted cool aid.

It pleases me, as an old man, to read your excellent use of the past tense.

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May 1, 2022Liked by Gurwinder

Deeds can include informed, well reasoned and well expressed opinions. Better yet is a solid record of such deeds. Then critical reading and listening, avoiding confirmation bias, become key.

Thank you for your essay.

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You’re my current professional commentator from whom my opinions are formed 😬 Love your delivery and content. You touch on aspects not frequently covered and have an element of Tristan Harris to your views, which I appreciate.

I think another problem is that we fanboy/girl over modern day thinkers and put them on a pedestal. Jordan Peterson is another one I view in this light. I know he’s not a god, but he’s able to so eloquently say what so many feel, but are unable to string together in any coherent manner themselves.

As Sean Whalen says, people speaking their truth become a lighthouse, a beacon and portal of truth, for others. Even if that “truth” is merely confirmation bias.

It’s hard to remember no one has it all figured out when listening to someone who sounds as though they do. I forget the exact reference, but we commence our life journey as a solid, crude piece of stone, slowly chipping away the excess to uncover who and what we are... never truly coming to completion. So when we encounter these thinkers who shed profound light into our lives, we must recognize they are merely helping in chipping away the unnecessary excess of our selves. And yes, sometimes huge chips can be thrown aside upon hearing a revolutionary insight, but it is not the be all and end all.

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May 8, 2022Liked by Gurwinder

Opinion Pageantry!

Ironically, depending on your political affiliation, best exemplified by the picture of AOC in a 'Tax the Rich' dress at the met gala last year.

I'm not political, it just would of been funny and in keeping with the idea captured in this essay.

Good stuff man, thanks!

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May 1, 2022Liked by Gurwinder

To give an opinion on such an insightful article on opinion will be an unnecessary opinion. This is the best action I could take immediately!

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Jun 5Liked by Gurwinder

This sort-of series could be a wonderful book

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Jul 15, 2023Liked by Gurwinder

It’s a great opinion and excellent piece and one of the reasons I’ve moved away from twitter. I started to get tsunami swept up uncomfortably to go along with the conservative attack of woke McKinsey/WEF political prodigies. Breaking away from the herd was necessary so I could more comfortably form my own opinions of issues . Writers like you help straighten out muddled thinking . We all need to go out and buy that T shirt that projects a single fish swimming opposite to the large school of fish as our reminder of the importance of our own individuality.

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So accurate and dystopian and depressing. Best article I’ve read in a long time, thanks for sharing 🤗

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May 15, 2022Liked by Gurwinder

Well reasoned opinion founded on carefully ascertained fact is surely more valuable than refraining from forming opinions

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May 1, 2022Liked by Gurwinder

Better than a opinion, just real fact !

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I think your opinion is "based."

Just kidding. I think you have a well thought out point of view.

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It is quite simple really people should be judged by their character, not their opinions.

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