justyouropinionman.jpeg (Gaming)

by Xenos , Shores of Time, Wednesday, August 09, 2017, 14:34 (2664 days ago) @ Vortech

I didn't say restrictively.

I don't think it's a great burden either way: neither to type it nor to fill it in as the reader in real time if you prefer having it there. But there can be no argument that it's more to type and it's not at all adding to the informational value of the message to add (after all, the people complaining are able to identify it as an opinion with the amount of information given — otherwise they would not have been prompted to complain or be offended.)

I disagree. Information does not end with the stated, it continues with the unstated. As I've said this is not a matter of people not knowing it's not an opinion, it's not knowing that the writer respects their opinions as well. The fact that this comes up all the time, not just here but everywhere, is proof that many people find statements of opinion presented as fact to be rude. If you don't mind appearing rude or arrogant to some then you have every right to state it that way, ignore the replies and go about your business. But understand how it appears to many people. Adding a minimal amount of effort to get your intentions across does not seem like that crazy of a burden to let people understand that.

It's also, in my anecdotal experience, a barrier asked only of those with unpopular opinions, so I do wonder if it's not really an attempt - conscious or subconscious - to have a chilling effect on the misfits posting. But That's just a thought.

It could be, but we'd need a lot of evidence to prove this one way or the other.