There are many things of which it is possible to become enraged over in this clusterf*ck of a world. I myself must admit that, whilst I try to generally be a tolerant and reasonable person, I cannot stand to be around people who can’t accept a point of view other than their own.

The world seems full of these ‘opinion attackers’, always lurking somewhere, ready to pop up out of the grass at you to give you a frank talking-to because you believe in astrology or read trashy novels or support gay marriage or whatever.

Their fragile egos simply will not allow a statement to be aired that contradicts their own views without their feeling it necessary to launch a tirade about ‘why you’re so wrong’.

I have long believed that it is a sign of intelligence to be able to entertain an idea without necessarily subscribing to it, and making others uncomfortable by shitting all over their opinions is not what I consider to be the mark of a worthwhile mind.

Still, they persist. They see someone reading a horoscope, for example, and can’t wait open their big fat traps and shout ‘YOU DON’T ACTUALLY BELIEVE IN ALL THAT SHIT, DO YOU ?’ as if it’s obvious to them (and everyone else) that you’re some kind of gullible moron.

Any response generally worsens the situation.  Saying, ‘no’ would, obviously, appear stupid, and saying ‘yes’ merely further invites the embarrassing barrage that is certain to follow.

These people are uninterested in discussion. They do not wish to hear your reasons or understand your motivations. They just want you to agree with them. And if you don’t, it is clear that they will then regard you as an idiot.

When ‘opinion attack’ happens to you, all you can do is look on the bright side: if a complete fool is disagreeing with you, that should serve as an affirmation that your views were probably right to begin with.