How do you view opinions that differ from yours?

Everyone has a story. Our experiences in life shape our outlook. Understanding the circumstances that others find themselves in can provide the insight that can explain their behavior. Not everyone has the tools or skills to prevent their problems from effecting how they treat other people. This is particularly troubling when such a person happens to be your boss. Thanks for sharing.

Not everyone feels this way about their boss. This is actually the sign of a good and competent boss who is concerned about productivity and success. It takes a certain kind of personality to be the boss, and if you aren't confident or self-interested, then it isn't likely that you would have ever been given the position in the first place. Most people like to think that others find them impressive or important. A good superior doesn't let this desire cloud their judgment and has developed ways to cut through the bull. You are lucky. Not all bosses want to help or are capable of doing so. You have found an effective way of interacting with your boss. There certainly are protocols and correct ways to address superiors and ask questions. Even unwritten rules need to be followed.

Surprisingly, it's much easier to know direct boss. Whenever I have disagreements with direct boss, I would ask the reasons for why he feel this way. Bosses like to talk and air their opinions, they are very happy when their subordinates think that they are very smart. Just a matter of how you tackle the questioning. If ask politely like "Can you give suggestions to help me improve?" sounds like much better "what makes you think so?" Sometimes just a simple question on "Is there a precedent?" or "How did you handle this while you were in junior position?" can trigger a very long discussion. It's an eye-opener for me!

Well, it's great that you try to keep the peace. It's a different and completely valid approach to discussion. I don't believe that everyone's views, even everyone's views on myLot, are correct. Some people make factually incorrect, ill informed, or misleading comments. I don't think that there is anything wrong with debate and argument. They are good forms of mental stimulus and exercise. Debate and argument don't have to be equated with combat. I can understand why some people feel that way though. Cheers.

Yep. If you value your rating, you have to be careful on myLot. Members aren't supposed to rate your comments negatively just because of a disagreement with the content, but they do.

Yes I agree with you that debate is a good exercise for the brain. But others might interpret it as a fight so I try to be peaceful always. Ciao!

I can understand someone getting upset when they feel offended. I find it interesting that you used the term "correct that person" instead of offer my opposing view. Just because you "feel" that someone is wrong, does not make it so. While terms like "racist" and "sexist" have negative connotations deemed by society to always be wrong, their application can be misleading. Finding statements "racist", "sexist" or "fallacious" is subjective and can differ from person to person. Statements can be taken out of context or outright misinterpreted. You mention that you "are never the type to debate". You certainly give me that impression and your own statements lead me to believe that you would rather judge. Judging others for their opinions, even if done in a friendly or nice way, isn't the same as if you "just respect that people will always differ in opinion". It's patronizing at best. Perhaps I have the wrong impression? Maybe you would like to elaborate on previous comments or offer new views in order to convince otherwise? Maybe there is a chance that you didn't intend your comments to mean how they sounded or how they were interpreted?

There is no need to be sorry. When someone presents falsehoods or attempts to mislead, then it is imperative to provide the proof to the contrary. This is easy to do when it comes to facts and certitudes. It is unfortunate that myLot doesn't employ a quote feature to assist members with this. Opinions are a much trickier subject. Opinions are often beliefs, not presented as fact, which may never have a definitive answer for or against.

Hi, yes, thanks for that. I did learn something from you. And I apologize if I seemed to have given the wrong idea. What I meant by "try to correct that person" was pertaining to the fallacious, and not the racist/sexist,etc. (I am really sorry).For a racist/exist/biased remark, I do would rather respect the opinion and yes, offer my opposing view. For the fallacious however, it could also be that the person stated something of a misconception about something for which I know the true fact about it, then that would be the time I will have to correct the person inorder for that person to distinguish fact from fallacy or superstition, or enlighten the person of which is actually scientifically true. Like for example, there's a funny belief here that being a peeping tom causes an eye infection called sty. That's a myth or a fallacy or even superstition. In that case, I will have to correct. But of course, that is only the simplest example I could think of. Hehe.

It's unfortunate that I was unable to reply to your response sooner. I think that you meant Barcelona and Bayern's effors in the quarter finals of the Champions League this year were embarrassing. Hopefully they can pull through and take the Bundesliga title. Wolfsburg has a significant advantage and I'm sure that Hamburg will have something to say about that too. But I digress. Not everyone is interested in true discussion. Thanks for taking the time to offer your comments. Cheers.

You have made an excellent point christian1. When you listen, you have the option to absorb new ideas and incorporate useful information into your own knowledgebase. It's up to the individual to decide what's important to them and you are not forced to accept another person's opinions just because you choose to listen. Welcome to myLot and thanks for sharing.

You have made an excellent point christian1. When you listen, you have the option to absorb new ideas and incorporate useful information into your own knowledgebase. It's up to the individual to decide what's important to them and you are not forced to accept another person's opinions just because you choose to listen. Welcome to myLot and thanks for sharing.

Hello FW, Discussions/Conversations take place on a two-way street. Unfortunately some people are driving in cars that only have one gear, can't stop, turn or go in reverse. "Put-downs" aren't really opinions at all. There are an attempt to discredit through derision. While everyone is entitled to their personal opinion, personal opinion doesn't belong in all discussions. It's good to meet others who enjoy debating too. Cheers.

These are very interesting comments. I have experienced the opposite when it comes to people from different regions. Oftentimes we approach problems in dissimilar fashions and have unique personalities and cultures. The current worldwide recession is a good example of our disparate views on how to handle this sizable difficulty. American methods have certainly been at odds with the Germans and French. Russian responses have a flavor of their own. The Chinese and Brazilians have successfully handled their economies in their own image before the recession reared its ugly head, and their recommendations for how to solve the crisis certainly aren't echoes from Washington or elsewhere. MyLot brings together a large group of people from all over the globe who offer all sorts of different opinions and different perspectives. We are in agreement that this is where myLot gets its charm and it is what makes myLot so interesting. Thanks for responding.

Attempting to force your opinion onto others never works. You will only call your own arguments even further into question when you resort to those methods. You can't change someone's beliefs/opinions by force. Oftentimes an attempt to force someone to change their views lends credence to counter claims. Convincing others requires facts, the truth, well thought out ideas, tested arguments and the skill to dissect and discredit opposing views. There is a reason why it is called the art of persuasion.

In some places it's absolutely imperative that people have differing opinions. In the technology industry, differing opinions and opposing ideas can fuel innovation, solve problems and support thorough testing. When it comes to technology, mistakes are made and issues are overlooked when group think sets in or members of the team are afraid to offer ideas/opinions freely. A delicate balancing act takes place in relationships and in team environments. People definitely adopt mechanisms, not always consciously, to handle disagreements. An amicable understanding needs to be reached with those that we are required to interact with, even if differences in opinion remain, in order to avoid animosity. You have touched on some interesting ideas and made some excellent comments. Cheers.

Most people seek others that are like minded and spend the majority of their time with them. It is not that surprising that you do the same. It certainly is important to correct anyone who attempts to speak for you or put words in your mouth. Let them speak for themselves. Thanks for sharing.

Respect and appreciation aren't the same thing. I don't have to appreciate your comments in order to respect your right to say them.

I try to avoid using sweeping generalizations. I can't speak for everyone and I have no way of proving what all people will do, so it's better to use many or most when you are sure about the majority's tendencies. That being said, I completely understand what you are saying. Human beings have some inherent characteristics. Your final comment is interesting. Some people think that those with opposing views are stupid and others think that those who can't accept/respect opposing views are stupid. Perhaps, that's not at all surprising...

This is a very good point. Learning how to deal with opposing views and learning how to handle criticism is a part of life. Expecting that everyone will conform to our needs or wants is a stage best left in infancy. Thanks for sharing.

It is rather difficult to say to identify if a person is really open for different points of view or not at all until we get to really have a discourse with them. Its not really a matter of who gets to justify his or her opinions, though it is nice to feel that you have well grounded your stand as well as provided sufficient details to defend your opinion during the debate, arguments like that offer more than just determining whose words were convincing. One may change their opinion, find more angles to think over and perhaps even strengthen their ideas regarding what they have already been agreeing on from the very beginning (^_^")

Not everyone is going to change their mind. Some may be unwilling to change their opinions no matter what is said. Others may claim to be receptive when the truth is that they are closed off. Learning to identify these people and adapting, or adopting measures, to deal with such occurrences is part of the skill set needed for debate/discussion. As you stated, in the end, sometimes we must agree to disagree. Cheers. ratyz.

There are certainly many world leaders who don't set a good example. Some demand deference from others while refusing to listen to anyone else who happens to have a difference of opinion. These hypocrites often flout the rules that they wish to apply to others.