This letter is an effort to raise the level of discourse occurring on this campus.

There has been a good deal of debate regarding the naming of Catt Hall; the naming of Cyclone Stadium; equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, etc.

Having been an undergraduate during the turbulent 1960s, I am heartened to see students again forming and expressing strong opinions about events in the world around them. There is a dimension about today’s debates that troubles me, however.

While I agree that we all have a right to our opinions and should feel free to express them openly and honestly, I do not agree that all opinions are equally valid. Many opinions are based on faulty or incomplete information and far too many are founded on un-informed emotion. A feeling is not the same as an opinion; it is an emotional response which often cannot be rationalized or amended through rational debate.

As a community of scholars, it is our privilege and duty to examine, ponder, discuss, and debate those issues that engage our intellect. A feeling, however, is not a debatable issue because I cannot deny your feeling or tell you that you do not have a right to feel the way you do.

Opinions, on the other hand, are open for discussion and I hope that is why they are being expressed. To say that one has a right to their opinion should not be the end of the discussion; it should be the beginning. You might say that all people of Scandinavian lineage are clumsy, herring-eating oafs who should not be allowed to marry and bear children, and that no one can change your mind. That may be your opinion, to which you have every right, but that does not negate the fact that you are an ignorant, closed-minded bigot. And it does not remove you from the obligation to hear and consider other opinions.

Opinions and feelings are both rights accorded free people in a democratic society. But to confuse one with the other does not promote the level of discussion that is necessary to keep that democracy alive and thriving. When you express a feeling, I can say “fine, that’s how you feel, but I feel differently.” End of discussion. No debate. Nothing changed. No one any wiser. But if you express an opinion, I expect that you will have put some thought and consideration into that opinion and be willing to consider alternatives.

How we converse reflects how we think. If you express a feeling, be honest enough to say that is what you are doing. But do not confuse feelings with opinions because then the world will know that you do not know the difference and that you have nothing to contribute to a reasoned and intelligent conversation.

Editor

Institute for Design Research and

Outreach

College of Design