OR

Or maybe I'll just write one post, tell no one, lose all memory of writing it and then find it two years later.

The beginning

All too often I am engaged in an argument and am in a position where it is worth pointing out that, while our opinions differ, my opinion is, in fact, more valid. It's not really enough to say that we disagree, when the quality of opinion is of utmost importance. Consider this:

Jimmy plays a frame of snooker with Ronnie. Ronnie beats Jimmy 147-0. Later, when Sue asks Ronnie what the score was, he replies "our scores differed by a lot". Sue is left hanging on the conclusion of the match.

Similarly, Jimmy and Ronnie discuss books. Ronnie says he thinks that Kurt Vonnegut is a great author, but Jimmy says that he's rubbish and that Ross O'Carroll Kelly is far better. Later, when Sue asks if they came to a conclusion in their discussion, Ronnie, always the diplomat, replies that they like very different books. Sue is pretty annoyed at this stage and cries, "but who was RIGHT?". (Answer below)

I'm not going to devote a blog to the fact that some opinions are more valid than others, but I set it as the title, so that anyone who reads it can stop before they question what I've written and think "...but is my opinion as valid as this fine young chap's?"


ANSWER: Ronnie