Judgement and ridicule

I read a comment on a friend's blog a while back that irked the hell out of me, so I wrote a post about it. I didn't attack the commenter or mention her personally, other than to call her opinion "shit."

In return, she commented back:
"I should like to hope we are able to form our own opinions and be able to share them without ridicule or judgment."

(I have removed her comment so that no one can track her down, because this isn't personal.)

But I have major issues with someone who comments on my blog and then asks me not to judge them.

I think the idea that we shouldn't judge is one of the top mush-brained concepts of recent history, right up there with "unconditional love." We have these big, complex, capable brains for a reason, don't we?

Here is the deal: I'll try not to judge you for the way you look, where you are from, what you do for a living, your race, color or religion. But dang me, I will judge you for 2 things: your action and your opinions, because they are a result of free will and therefore define who you are.

If you have stupid opinions and dare to state them in public, expect to be challenged.

If you are going to express your opinions publicly, I expect the following:
That you will think before expressing them.
That you will be able to back up your opinions with facts.
That you can explain your reasoning in a clear and cogent way.
That you will expect to be questioned and will be willing to respond to queries in a civil fashion.
That you will admit when you might be wrong if you can't do the above.

There are any bloggers with whom I have had disagreements large and small. Mothergoosemouse is an atheist Republican, for goodness' sake (Still, Julie??) and yet we somehow manage to engage in meaningful discourse without any animosity.

Do I judge Mothergoosemouse? Yes. I judge her to be intelligent and thoughtful. We may disagree on certain points, but I can see how she arrives at her opinions, and I can't fault her thought process.

On the other hand, when I read ridiculous opinions that are based on nothing but some random thoughts and feelings floating through someone's head, I will judge and I will challenge. That's just the way it goes around here. Consider yourself forewarned.