A couple weeks ago, my editor sent out an email saying that as opinion columnists, we needed to quit writing about Facebook. Apparently, it’s been a hot topic in the eyes of the opinion writers, since it’s a hot topic among college kids. As students, when we care a lot about something, we share our opinions and try to persuade people to agree with us. This applies to anything in life, really.

As a tangent, “Arrested Development” is getting renewed for a fourth season after a five-year hiatus. How awesome it that? World peace instantly feels within reach.

Anyway, since I’m banned from discussing the pure evil that resides inside Mark Zuckerburg’s black heart, we must find another topic of equal, possibly dare I say, even more important than Facebook. That is: opinions.

Whether they are religious, political or otherwise, people care deeply about their opinions. So deeply in fact, that they read an opinion article in a random newspaper and then feel compelled to find the website of the newspaper, sign up for an account and then berate an unknown person for thinking differently than themselves. 

Recently, Andy Rooney, the nonagenarian opinion columnist, retired after spouting his opinions on “60 Minutes” since 1978. In his final show he said, “I look at my newspaper and there is so much going on in the world, I mean, who couldn’t write a column. There is everything going on, and I would be embarrassed to say that I couldn’t write a column.”

Now, not everyone, including myself, is as good of a writer as Rooney, but almost all of us have something to say, and it’s doing yourself and the world a disservice to remain silent. When opinions are expressed, people’s minds start turning, problems start being discussed and solutions are formulated.

A very common complaint that I read on the iowastatedaily.net message boards is how the editors, or the newspaper in general, is very biased or slanted in political affiliation. As a columnist inside of the “lion’s den,” as it were, I can tell you that you’re right. The far majority of the people that work at the Daily are students 18 to 21 years old, and statistically most young people have a slight gimp to the left or in the case of some of our self-professed Marxists, a full-on sprint.

But I also need to make something perfectly clear. From my first day working at the Daily, my opinion editors stressed that they are looking for quality and not political bent. They have gone out of their way to reinforce the fact that it doesn’t matter if they agree with the content as long as the point is clear.

I think this puts a large burden on the complainers. The people that say things like, “As usual, the lefty editors of the Daily,” etc., need to get out of the dugout and step up to the plate. The only reason conservatives feel underrepresented is because they aren’t representing themselves. So next time you feel that you need to complain about the communist overlords that run the media, consider coming into the Daily and grabbing an application. Because in my experience, they are ready and willing to print your well-thought-out opinions.