My opinion on Opinion

As I think about it, my writer’s block is probably the result of my holding a not-so-accurate idea of what purpose the opinion section serves. I’m not here to sell you on my opinion. Sure, I have to justify my position — Lord knows how aggressive online comments get for even the best-written and least-controversial submissions — and give an explanation of why the belief merits sharing. But convincing you that my opinion is “right” or superior to anything else out there is just ... not the point.

I’m simply here to share my thoughts in this formal, public forum. It doesn’t matter if I purport to speak from anything more than my own perspective, because the utility of the opinion section is not in the rightness of the submission but, instead, in the act of expressing and sharing reasoned personal beliefs with the general public. This may sound trivial and unimportant, but bear with me.

There’s certainly still a “with great power comes great responsibility” deal going on here. I can’t just spout whatever bullshit comes to mind, but I also don’t have to agonize over the potential topic or stance I take. It’s not a matter of necessarily swaying readers to share my opinion but of showing that I — and the ‘Prince’ — believe that the subject merits a few hundred words.

There’s a good deal of academic and empirical work that expounds upon the power of hearing a belief that you hold articulated by someone other than yourself, not to mention the sheer intuitive nature of that claim. Because I’m an undeclared, second year undergraduate student, I’ll stick to the intuitive aspect and say that this concept is important in two major ways. One, hearing a belief you hold echoed by another person, especially in a medium to which we ascribe social importance — i.e., in print — validates the belief. And second, reading the thoughts of our peers shows us that there is a range of opinions on our campus, and in expressing them side by side — which is to say printing multiple submissions in each daily run of the opinion section, not necessarily point and counterpoint — we can communicate that there is no strictly dominant voice on campus, and thus that we are entitled, and encouraged, to hold different beliefs.

In fact, we could even add a third reason: the role of encountering opinions with which you disagree. When you disagree, you’re forced to identify counterarguments and that process strengthens your original conviction. So writing a column with which many people agree or disagree can be equally useful — given my conception of the utility of an opinion (a point I’m sure I’ll find incredibly useful with my first poorly received submission).

This utility is why it’s important to have University newspapers in the first place: Our daily existence here is centered around the formation of beliefs — philosophical, religious, mathematical, scientific or whatever the field. We’re all working to formalize and validate our understanding of the world. Furthermore, and I suppose I’m stepping into treacherous waters here, that’s why it’s important to have USG investigative reports, such as the Steering Committee on Undergraduate Women’s Leadership. Just hearing a professor, columnist or USG affiliate can mean the difference between feeling your belief is valid or worthless, the difference between action and inaction. And what an important difference that is.

That is why we have an opinion section, to be that nudge, to validate — perhaps even motivate — our peers by publishing our personal thoughts. And with that, it seems I’ve made it to the end of my first column. So there it is: my opinion. Take it or leave it. Either way, you can look forward to future installments, because I’m all about encouraging people’s conviction in their own beliefs.

Lily Alberts is a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn. She can be reached at lalberts@princeton.edu.