Opinions were made to be shared but disagreeing is no reason for bullying or name calling

There was a time UK fans could share opinions on a player like freshman Daimion Collins and no one would get mad even if they disagreed with another person. (Jeff Houchin/Nolan Media)

Back in the old days — before the invention of the internet or social media — one thing that was always enjoyable after a UK game, basketball or football, was for fans at church, work or school to gather around the coffee pot or coke machine in a vestibule, break room, cafeteria, gym or bus stop and discuss all the plays of the game in detail and then give an opinion about why the Cats won or why they lost, what plays worked and what plays didn’t and which players should play more in the next game.

Everyone in the group always had an opinion and they didn’t mind expressing it to the group. Usually, it differed from others’ opinions but that was okay, it was fun to discuss and listen to everybody’s opinion. Sometimes there may have been some good-natured ribbing that occurred between two individuals but it was always face to face and always in good-natured fun. Rarely did anyone curse another individual because of their opinions, call them names or question their family lineage.

The same thing occurred on original sports talk radio. Listeners would call in with questions or pose their opinions and the host of the show would share an opinion and tell others to call in and tell him why he was right or wrong. Usually, the callers were willing to share some opinion with the host, have a give and take discussion and then hang up the phone without feeling degraded or having cursed the show’s host.

People generally could civilly discuss sporting events and express their opinions without feeling like they were being attacked by a pack of wild dogs.

So what’s happened? I’ve noticed that social media and talk radio have become a big playground for small-minded bullies. If anyone dares voice an opinion that differs from the self-designated social media bully that person can expect to be called vile names, have his or her parentage and sanity questioned, be insulted, and called every name available. No discussion occurs face to face, generally there is little or no knowledge involved and virtually no sharing of facts to help convince the other listeners/readers that the opinion being put forth deserved some additional thought. Just a lot of name-calling, cursing, and threats about what they will do if everyone doesn’t agree with their opinion.

But why? Why should everyone agree on an opinion? After all, we all have opinions and they rarely ever match up with each other. If there are nine people gathered in a room there are usually 10 opinions. In the past, that type of discussion is what had made America the strong nation that it was. Free and open discussion on any number of subjects from sports to politics to the best way to grow a garden to who makes the best coffee in town. Opinions mattered but they weren’t treated as personal insults.

Nowadays the only thing that usually occurs from free and open discussion is at best verbal abuse and at worst physical violence and murder. No longer can anyone feel free to post an opinion on social media or voice an opinion on talk radio without feeling the wrath of other posters or callers through name-calling, bullying, or threats of violence.

So the $64,000 question is, should decent, non-argumentative, non-hatred loving people just walk away from things like social media and talk radio? Should Americans everywhere just settle back into their easy chairs at home, only discuss things like sports, politics, cultural issues in the privacy of their own homes with their own families and abandon the playgrounds of social media and talk radio to the social bullies of the world or should Americans fight back and say, “Enough is enough” when it comes to virtual bullies on the internet and airwaves and call them what they are?

I have an opinion on social media and talk radio but I’m afraid to share it here lest I be insulted and called obscene names in the comments.

Actually, that’s a poor attempt at humor but I do have an opinion about what the solution might be. My solution would be for people to get back to having more face-to-face discussions about important and unimportant things ranging from sports to your favorite restaurant to who makes the best doughnuts in town. Take a break from what I call “garage door living” where the car pulls in at night, closes the garage door to the world, and only reopens in the morning to allow the occupant to go to work, then rinse and repeat.

People need to get out into parks, downtown streets, and small businesses to spend a few minutes talking to their neighbors as they shop. If not that, at least take a walk down the block and say hello to anyone you meet. Strike up a conversation about the local team or gardening or fishing or should a good glazed doughnut really have sprinkles on top or any number of other topics. Share opinions, have lively debates but do it in a good-natured neighborly way.

Activities like local sporting events are the lifeblood of communities. They bring people together, or should, to spend time with other friends, neighbors, and community members to just share thoughts and ideas. There’s nothing evil or sinister in neighbors freely and openly discussing local sports or anything else for that matter. Just neighbors sharing ideas over a cup of coffee and a doughnut.

I think folk singer Arlo Guthrie summed it up best when he said about our current life of fear and intimidation, “You know that somewhere in the world somebody’s hiding behind a rock, or a wall, or a tree or something, and somebody else has been shooting at them for quite some time. Somebody’s (who’s hiding behind the rock, wall or tree) dreaming, somebody’s hoping that somewhere, somebody’s singing,  somebody’s smiling, and laughing, and life is good and it’s fun to be a human being, and it’s alright.”

And he’s right. Folks should keep on laughing and singing and expressing their opinions without feeling like they need to hide behind a wall or a tree or a keyboard lest someone begins figuratively shooting at them for having an opinion and expressing it. It’s time start being human beings again, listening to what  others think, even as we express our own opinions.

As much as I wouldn’t agree with why Louisville should be considered the best sports program in the state of Kentucky or how the Wildcats Football program will never make it to an SEC Championship, it could be someone’s opinion and can freely be shared, listened to and respected. Well, at least listened to …  I think. Anyway, you know what I mean.

Get out there and meet people, talk sports, live life and stand up for everyone else’s right to express their opinions. That way you can always express yours.