Opinion > January 17, 2008

By Alex Osteen | Opinion editor

Writing down a well-thought out letter to the editor or opinion column and sending it in to the newspaper is not only a great way to put the old First Amendment to use, but it also opens up discussion and instigates contemplation of relevant topics, not to mention really makes you think about why you hold the opinions you do.

Perhaps as the incoming opinion editor I have a slight bias, but hear me through on this one.

First of all, everybody has an opinion on something: from smaller topics to the larger ones. For example, somebody may hold an opinion like, “Coca-Cola is clearly superior to Pepsi Cola” while another person may be as bold as to think “Democrats are better than Republicans” or “women should not have the right to choose when it comes to abortions.”

Generally people are either proud of what they think or they are bashful or afraid to raise their voice in opposition to something they don’t agree with.

I think that having an opinion is nothing to be embarrassed about. It also doesn’t give you the ability to be disrespectful or not listen to what the other side has to say.

As students of this university, in theory, learning to better our ability to communicate our thoughts clearly and logically is just part of everyday life.

The university is made up of students of diverse backgrounds from different states and countries; differing opinions is inevitable. In an epoch of very divided political and religious ideologies in America and the rest of the world, it is becoming more and more vital to not only know where you stand on key issues, but to also be able to defend your stances.

Election season is in full swing at this point and you can barely find a channel on TV that’s not talking about the candidates (perhaps Mike Gravel excluded). Even the most politically apathetic person must have some political opinion at this point if it’s nothing more than just being tired of hearing the same banter all the time.

Classes are starting up again and new ideas are bound to begin blooming and blossoming from inspirational speeches from intelligent professors.

Reuniting with friends and non-friends after a month of vacation will probably, at some point or another, lead to an impassioned discussion about one topic or another.

So, put together smart kids getting a first rate university education with real reasons for them to think different things and you’ve got a lively campus opinion section. What better time to be a college student and what a better time to write your opinions?

That said, write, write opinionated people of the university. Give it a shot. Let the editorial energy flow through you. I would advise, however, keeping in mind that being concise and interesting is a plus and that droning on and on is the same as ranting and is not fun to read. Not only is developing a clean and precise opinion piece a useful tool for being a caring and responsible citizen, but it can also serve as good practice for final paper writing. You’ll thank me at finals time.

And for all those professors and alumni out there, who are still reading this up to here, you’re included in this too – I know that there are lots of things you want to broadcast to this newspaper’s readers. This is your chance.

I believe what the world really needs is less people who are simply angry and don’t know how to listen or logically defend their positions and more people who can make simple yet well defended points.

If you’re lucky, and if you’ve done it right, at the end of the day you may have convinced other people of your viewpoints – or maybe you’ve ticked them off so much that they insist on writing a heated response.