Why are some people incapable of proper discussion without resorting to the 'I'm entitled to my opinion' line?

[ManicUnicorn]

I'm not talking about mumsnet here, but Ive noticed it a lot on social media recently.

For example I'm a member of a few different groups on Facebook. Often someone will say something like ' I don't like ' someone else's will disagree or challenge the point and the response I'll invebitably be ' I'm allowed an opinion'. Or 'it's called free speech'.

Well yes you are entitled to an opinion, but if you are are airing it on a public forum then other people are also entailed to disagree or challenge it. That is also freedom of speech. I love a good debate/discussion but so many people don't seem capable of it these days. They can't see further than their own views or backing them up . It's sad and depressing, and also slightly infuriating.

Has anyone else noticed this?

actually mn is full of it. There are lots of opinions that arent allowed even when the op asks for them. Others will jump in with the rules, which often include denial of science and insistence on absolutes with no grey areas. No other opinions are tolerated by these people.

I really like going shopping and would miss the high street if it disappeared' would make far more sense as a response than ' I'm allowed an opinion. End of'.

Of course it would make more sense, but people won't leave it at that. People will tell you why you shouldn't like shopping, why you shouldn't miss the High Street, why it's your fault that progress is so slow in this country and how you're such a fucking hypocrite because you once bought something online in 2008.

Also some people aren't as eloquent as others and struggle to put their thoughts in to words. That doesn't mean that their thoughts are any less valid though.

I've largely stopped using Facebook partly because of this.

Not over things of the "I don't like peas" ilk but things like posting a link to a newspaper article about am American far right politician who has introduced arresting foreigners not carrying all relevant paperwork and visas on their person on sight and interring them in a rented forced labour camp, with the comment "quite right too, we should do this here"

I posted asking whether she'd be as supportive if her 20 year old son was arrested and interred in a holiday in that state. She responded "I'm entitled to my opinion, if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all"

Similarly another person who posted that she was sick of paying private rent when "if my name was Mohamed I'd be given a council house"

Still social media does show you the true colours of some people able to present as totally normal at a toddler group...

*tented not rented

I do like the expression that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but they are not entitled to their own facts.

True, but saying "I don't like peas" is much different to saying "All peas are terrible and disgusting"

The first is a fact, and the second is an opinion.

And I see people doing this ALL the time with stories. It drives me up the wall. I've analysed stories and written essay style reviews for them before, and people respond with 'it's not that deep' without any evidence to back up such a point, and say things like 'go touch some grass, it's only a book you loser'. With such stories, they often post negative reviews online that say 'This story is horrible' instead of 'I don't like this story', in an amateurish style that asserts their opinion as fact without any evidence to back it up. Even trying to counter their points with an evaluation of how weak their argument is and counterpoints ends up being futile, because these people are incapable of logically processing concepts that do not align with their own ideals. Them responding with insults, not responding, or simply asserting more points without evidence is a common and fustrating thing, and honestly I don't know what to do about it - the way I've seen people complain about people 'over' analysing things tends to promote a culture that discourages actually thinking before saying something. I don't understand why nowadays, especially on twitter, being right is about how many likes you have and whether you manage to ratio the other person or not. It's extremely biased and very echochamber like.

You are definitely right! Too many people saying 'X thing is bad' instead of 'I don't like X thing' without anything genuinely backing it up; it's like people enjoy spreading negative hate about good things for no reason.,