Am I entitled to my opinion?

I have a bone to pick with society today. With the emphasis on individualism and politically correct speech, it seems like having an opinion is fast becoming the ultimate social faux pas. No, you say, today you can think whatever you want. But, can you really? If I were to honestly state my opinion about what color is the best by saying "I think red is the best color!" someone would quickly say, "But you have to remember not everyone's favorite color is red. Some people think other colors are the best." Does this mean that by stating that I think red is the best color it forbids others from thinking differently? If I like red and say as much, am I by default saying that everyone should like red? No, I am simply saying that I think red is the best color (everyone is free to disagree). By stating my honest opinion about color, I am not automatically stating that opinion is an absolute truth.

Perhaps that is the problem. People no longer acknowledge a difference between one's opinion and truth, they are now one and the same. However, there is a profound difference between personal opinion and absolute truth. Personal opinion is what one person thinks to be true. Absolute truth is what is true for all people, no matter what each one thinks. To state my personal opinion, then, is different from stating something to be true for everyone. Because of today's prevailing view that all truth is relative to the individual, personal opinion is effectively disallowed. Personal opinion equals truth, but it must not be stated as truth but very carefully as my own truth only (it is only true for me or at least apologize to those who disagree). Take my original opinion statement "I think red is the best color!" The response of many people would be to remind me that other opinions (other truth) exists and I must always acknowledge this explicitly. So, I must state my opinion about color in something like this "I think red is the best color, but I know that not everyone likes red and it's okay to think another color is the best. Red is just my best color not necessarily anyone else's, feel free to make another color the best color for you." Suddenly, my statement that "I think red is the best color" is apologized into meaninglessness. I have to be so careful to state my opinion in a non-offending or imposing way that I end up saying nothing about what I think of color. This is nonsense. Why can't people take my statement "I think red is the best color" at face value? All I am saying is that I THINK red is the best color. Period. Don't hear what I am not saying. Whether everyone in society acknowledges it or not, absolute truth exists and it is not the same thing as personal opinion. When we deny the existence of absolute truth and make each person's opinion truth, we end up with destroying each person's right to have their own opinion. Effectively, the distinction between absolute truth and personal opinion is obliterated and we end up fighting over stupid things instead of allowing everyone to have their opinion. When we acknowledge that there is absolute truth and it is not the same as personal opinion, we free each person to have their opinion. If I were making a statement of truth rather than opinion about color, I would say "Red is the best color" rather than stating "I think red is the best color" which would be my personal opinion. Thus, absolute truth includes things that are true universally (for all people) like "Oxygen is needed for breathing", "God is", "Death is inevitable" etc. Personal opinion includes things that are true for the individual stating them like "I think red is the best color", "I think Weight Watchers is a great weight loss method", "I don't think peanut butter sandwiches go with chili, I prefer something with cheese rather than peanut butter", and "I think sporks are useless eating utensils" etc.

But the problem is more than just that the existence of absolute truth is widely refuted. The problem also includes the fact that many people assume things about other people when personal opinions are stated, reading more into the statement than is actually said. I am frustrated that many seem to expect that I not only say what I am saying, but also what I am not saying. Conversations would be tediously long if we all had to do this. If every time I said something I had to also say what I was not saying, it would take forever just to have a simple conversation. Take the original simple statement of opinion "I think red is the best color". If I had to say that along with what I am not saying like "I'm not saying other people will agree that it is the best color. I'm not saying you cannot think another color is the best color. I'm not saying all other colors are bad. I'm not even saying I will always think that red is the best color. I'm not saying that I don't like any other colors....etc." then either conversation would be much longer or we would all say much less because it would mean saying much more than a simple statement of opinion. Doesn't it make much more sense to take people's words at face value?

Another favorite tactic I've experienced in society today is picking apart another person's statements till there's nothing left of them. That is, requiring such precision in an expression of personal opinion that one might have to spend large portions of the day just thinking of how to say what I think. For example, if I gave my opinion but didn't preface it with "I think" or conclude it with "in my personal opinion" then I did it wrong. Or, someone might take my statement "I think red is the best color" and say that I should have said "Red is my favorite color". If we value individualism as much as we say we do, then let me speak in my own individual style and I also let you speak in your own individual style. Let's stop picking each other's words apart. Perhaps we could all, when we aren't sure if we just heard a statement of opinion or a statement of fact, pause to determine what the face value of the words are and if we are still unclear ask questions rather than making accusations or criticisms of the person who spoke. That makes good sense, in my opinion.