In a New Yorker podcast last March, the wonderful Adam Gopnik uttered a two-word phrase that I can't get out of my head. "He is," Gopnik said, "beautifully opinionated."
(For those of you playing along at home, give yourself one point for appreciating the phrase, and five points for appreciating the source.)
I've been thinking lately about this idea of being beautifully opinionated. It implies a depth and understanding of a subject, but also a certain reverence for the opposing viewpoint.
A gauntlet, then, thrown at the feet of all you M&M writers and readers: about what do you consider yourself beautifully opinionated? For me, it's the intersection of literature and religion, a subject upon which I can (and do) wax elegant.
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3 comments:
Beautifully opinionated... To me, this phrase applies wonderfully to those things about which you have a lot to say, but to which you don't claim to know the answer. You can battle passionately for either side and really mean it.
For me: Beatles vs. Stones
Beatles vs. Stones!!!
Best post topic ever. It would be criminal for you not to write that one up.
Beautifully opinionated means something completely different to me. It's like the NOFX song "Happy Guy." The song is a dig on a guy who is a converted Christian. The best line in the whole piece is:
"His belief may be false,
but his happiness is real,
don't try to judge him,
he's just a man."
That's my impression of "beautifully opinionated." Someone who has very strong feelings about a particular subject, even though they may be lacking the background or intellect to support those feelings. To me the idea reflects on the nature of the person, that a person is so characteristic in their opinions that they become identifiable traits, even if they may not always be correct. I'm very much that way. Not necessarily beautiful, but I think everyone on here knows me well enough to guess my opinions on any given subject before i state them.
As far as your definition of the term goes, I'd have to say I side on the Vegan vs. Omnivore subject.
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