OPINION: Opinions are not sacred

JUST MY OPINION: Actresses like Gabourey Sidibe have been mocked for their size - with those who do so defending their "right to free speech".

Of all my less-than-pleasant memories from secondary school, there's one that stands out -- overhearing a group of classmates gleefully lambasting our English teacher's fashion choices.

"Her make-up's too dark!" they squealed. "Her hair's all rats tail-y!" "And her jackets are the wrong shape for her body!"

There were a few cries of "that's not very nice!" -- but the would-be Fashion Police were unmoved. "It's our opinion," said one."And we're perfectly entitled to it."

I've since been privy to similar discussions, and have seen many such needlessly critical, and just plain nasty assessments of fellow humans upheld in the name of 'opinion'.

That, and 'freedom of speech'.

Recently, I dived into a conversation on Facebook about body hair on women -- and admonished those making noises of disgust for their policing of others' bodies.

The original poster shot back with, "people are allowed their own opinions" and said I was "saying their opinions had no value".

That's the thing -- not all opinions have inherent value.

Everyone's got an opinion on something. That New Zealand is ready to become a republic. Te reo should be compulsory. Rock n' roll is dead, Titanic was a terrible movie, and Reese Witherspoon did not deserve her Oscar for Walk the Line.

But where I often see the 'freedom of speech' card played is when people share those viewpoints which are rooted in prejudice and perpetuate stereotypes. Like "women are bad drivers", "gay people are out to destroy the family", "fat people eat nothing but Maccas", and "transgender people are sick freaks".

And those which denigrate others who exist outside societal standards of acceptability: like young Disney stars with dreadlocks accused of "smelling of weed", plus-size actresses of looking like "chubby ghosts", and women who misplace their razors of being "disgusting".

It's cruel. But, a 'constitutional right', apparently.

My schoolmates were right on one thing: everyone is entitled to their opinion. But, while freedom of speech may keep a person from being arrested, it doesn't protect them from the consequences of saying said opinion out loud. Freedom of speech does not protect opinions from being challenged or questioned -- especially if they are baseless, mean-spirited, or discriminatory.

I've seen many attempt to justify bigotry because it's a "human right" to make whatever judgments they wish. But this does not make these judgments sacred, or impenetrable forces. They are not beyond reproach. And they are not automatically assigned value because they're a by-product of the human consciousness.

Freedom of expression can be a beautiful thing. But, there are some 'expressions' which probably should be kept to oneself.