Enjoy your opinion ... because it is yours

Last semester, I wrote a column denouncing the immaturity and utter stupidity of a popular series of books that later became an equally immature movie. I’ve bashed that franchise enough for the time being, so I won’t mention its name except to mention that the plot involves vampires and hormonal girls.

Anyhow, soon after I wrote the column, I received an interesting letter in response. I’ve got the letter reproduced in its entirety on my Facebook notes, but it’s too long to include here. It was written in all caps with a marker all over four pieces of paper, the kind of thing usually taped around a brick and thrown through a window.

I’m not sure that English was the native tongue of the writer. It included cryptic phrases like “[The novel] IS A BOOK AND GRANT IT OR NOT SUBJECT TO OPINIONS BY THE READER READING IT” and “YOU GIVE POWER TO THE EVENTS YOU ENCOUNTER.”

The last part was the most interesting. It said, “HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR OPINION BECAUSE IT IS YOURS.”

Isn’t that true?

One of the great things about America — aside from _________ and it being the country that produced Red Baron French Bread Pizzas — is that we can, in most circumstances, speak our minds. We can express our opinions, and as long as we don’t defame people too much, we can all live in bliss knowing that everyone’s got their own view of stuff.

I’ve got some pretty far-out opinions. I believe vegetarians are missing out on some of the greatest gifts ever granted to mankind, like beef jerky. I believe the guy who invented Otter Pops should be canonized into a saint. I think that guys should stay as far away from wearing girl pants as a chicken from a KFC. I even think Jack Bauer could beat Chuck Norris.

I might be right about those things. I might be totally wrong.

But, as that faux ransom note exhorted me so eloquently, I enjoy my opinion because it is mine.