Why We Need Unpopular Opinions // Monday Musings

Hello bookworms and welcome back! It’s Monday, meaning it is time for the one and only Monday Musings, a weekly feature here on Josie’s Book Corner where I address and discuss all my thoughts on all topics unrelated to reading – because why not show a little bit of blogging diversity, you know?

This week, I’ll be discussing a topic that can be related to many aspects of life – of course, for all of my blogging buddies, you’ll be able to relate to this on a blogging perspective, while others will also be able to relate, just on different subjects. OKAY, I’M BABBLING.

Unpopular opinions. Perhaps also known as negative opinions. The side of the argument with the least amount of people. These unpopular opinions are everywhere and pop up amidst the waves of raving and carrying on. There is always going to be a negative review for a certain book and there is always going to be at least one blog that will share their unpopular opinion, whether it’s about a book everyone loves, or some other topic of choice. They’re a bit more uncomfortable to hear, a little harder to swallow, but you know what? They’re NECESSARY. In fact, we NEED them.

Why? Well, let’s discuss then, shall we?

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TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING CAN SOMETIMES BE A BAD THING

Not everything is sunshine and rainbows. We need people who will spare us the sugar-coated words and give us the hard truths. Even I can admit that I tend to sugar-coat my book reviews – having the habit of lightly skipping over the parts of a book that I thought weren’t that great, but then really emphasising the greatness of the good stuff in a book. We need those people who stand out from the crowd and are not afraid to speak out and discuss in detail the things that others may have only skipped over in the light of all the good things – imagine if everyone in the world just swept all serious issues under the rug. Okay, maybe it’ll work out all right for the first few months or so, but eventually, it all piles up and you don’t realise how much bad stuff you and everyone else is ignoring: it’s sort of like book hype, if you get my drift. (I hope someone does!)

IT GIVES US A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Personally, I love reading about unpopular opinions – in regards to any and all topics. I love seeing the less travelled road and I love delving into the minds of those who think differently from the rest of the crowd. It’s fascinating and it can really open your eyes – open your eyes to the deeper, more complex elements of any topic, such as a novel that you may have missed in your frenzy of feels over how great the book was. Reading unpopular opinions takes you down a new road, a different road. A road that is fresh to you and this, brings along a new perspective into your life. It’s always good to see things from more than one angle.

A BALANCE IN THE FORCE

Balance is key – without balance you can’t stand up straight. If you don’t have all one of your variables controlled in a science experiment, it won’t be fair. The same goes for opinions. There needs to be a balance of the good and the bad opinions. Granted, it’s lovely to know that so many people are like-minded to you, but it gets a little boring if everyone thinks the same way. Which leads me to my next point – BOOM, GREAT TRANSITION

IT GIVES US A CHALLENGE

I don’t know about you, but I like a little bit of challenge – and with unpopular opinions, your mind will be whirring and working to try and understand their side of the argument and how you can justify your own opinion in the process. You’re forced to take a more elaborate look on your opinion and your views and on theirs and explain yourself – and in the process, you’ll learn something new, a new perspective.

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Well bookworms – and non-bookworms –, it is about time that I wrap this post up. Unpopular opinions are cool, and shouldn’t be looked down upon. Just because there may be less in this group than in the more popular, positive responses, does not mean there is anything wrong with it.

What do YOU think of unpopular opinions?