WITHHOLD MY OPINION - NEVER!

While stuck at home on Friday, because my boss made me stay home because I was sick, I was reading Volume 15 of The Onion Ad Nauseam. The Onion is a satirical newspaper, on which Australia's The Chaser was based.

In volume 15 there is an article entitled 95 Per cent of Opinions withheld on Visit to Family. The article says:

A full 95% of the opinions held by Justin Wilmot, 26, were kept to himself Sunday during a father's day visit with his family.

"No one in my family gets my worldview, so I find it easier just to smile and nod and agree with everything." .....

....Among the Subjects Wilmot declined to weigh in on during the weekend get-together: New tropical sprite, Survivor, the selfishness of childless couples, Iraq, Golf, AM talk back radio, and his brother-in-law's fantastic idea for a calling card side business.

Now as anybody who knows me will tell you, I NEVER withhold my opinion; regardless of whether I am talking with family, friends, or I overhear complete strangers talking on the street. That's just the sort of easy to get along with guy that I am. I respect people's right to their state opinions, and in return they should respect my right to state my opinions.

So what are some of the things that I have an opinion on that I have stated to people recently when they have been discussed?

• Big Brother: No one with any semblance of intelligence would watch this show. People who watch it should not be allowed to have children and contaminate the Human Race's Gene pool.
• People who claim to be left-wing justifying their smoking: you're paying multi-national corporation to kill you, and those around you. There are no health benefits to it (unlike moderate alcohol consumption), and the only reason it "relaxes" you is because you are addicted to the chemicals in it, which your body is craving. You're not left-wing, you are a moron.
• The Australian film industry produces shit films: Sure if you like watching mind-numbing, banal, insipid pap like Episode 3, Meet the Fockers or War of the Worlds I can see why you might say this. However if you have the ability to think for yourself instead of letting Hollywood studios and their multi-million dollar advertising budgets think for you, you would realise these films are shit, while films like The Finished People, Letters to Ali, Somersault and Peaches are infinitely better then those crap Hollywood films.
• The government's "concessions" to refugees: The DIMIA minister now has the discretion to release detainees. In fact the DIMIA minister has had this discretion all along and you didnlt know it, essentially because you believe the government's propaganda.
• The IR changes will create jobs: And the proof of this is where, other than up your arse you fascist fuck?
• The ALP is still a progressive left wing party: yes, and John Howard is a small L liberal, and Santa Claus delivers presents on Christmas Eve. Actually the last one may still be true. Non-union enterprise agreements, introducing mandatory detention, eliminating a centralised wage fixing system , deregulating the banks etc. These aren't the actions of a left wing or even centrist party, these are the actions of a hard line right wing party.

Well, I feel a lot better. However if anybody reads this I am sure it will piss off even more people than I already have. So be it. The truth can often alienate.