rands: You _can_ argue even though you think my opinion matters; you can argue against an opinion while maintaining that the opinion itself matters, even though you think it makes an incorrect assertion. However, not everyone should write just anything and do so, publically, solely because they think their opinion matters. The web is not just a journal. It is a published journal. There is a fine line between self-serving and truly valuable writing.

It is precisely the situation TheNintenGenius describes that makes me jitter at the sight of "blatanly false" (to the point of repulsive) "opinions." Although you may be open to constructive criticism, not everyone is, including some of those who may be doing the criticising. And yet the Internet is one of those media where it's all about the strength of the signal, whether it be actual signal or just noise. And although you may be able to dissect obvious Crapola from the occasional gem, I think that you will find that the vast majority of people cannot (or are too ignorant to do so). [Think mass media. Think CNN (no offense to CNN -- on second thought, fuck CNN).]