You're wrong, and you're a moron...

I'm completely ok with being wrong. It happens to me a lot, so it's hard for me to say with a straight face that I wouldn't accept somebody who apologizes after making a mistake. We will all be wrong from time to time. However, some people aren't willing to admit the mere possibility that they will ever be wrong.

In the media, this is known as a strength. The way to be popular as a sports host or a political host is not to be right, but to be boisterous and have strong opinions. Nobody's going to remember what you said two weeks ago, and even if they did, the call screeners are never going to allow them on the air. So if you said last year that the Detroit Lions were going to win the Super Bowl emphatically enough, you would get more listeners than somebody who passively picked the Steelers. Likewise, in politics, nobody is going to check up on you if you lie or stretch the truth about war, health, or who you've had sex with in the past 24 hours. (Actually, scratch that last one...)

In everyday life, however, this doesn't work as well. I have had friends who are 100% convinced of things, and not only are they right, but you're stupid for questioning them. This happens most often, to nobody's surprise, when it comes to politics and religion, two things that virtually never can be proven. If you say that the Lions are going to win the Super Bowl, they'll know you're wrong around...Week 9. But if they say that ________ is going to hell, how are you going to disprove that? If they say that if the President does this and then that and then that and every possible problem will be solved, chances are he's not going to do exactly what you want and you'll never know if it would have been successful.

When it comes to politics and religion, I feel that I'm humble enough to know that I don't have all the answers. I feel like I understand the concept of God pretty well, but do I understand everything? Of course not. My views are always changing. Politically, as well. I know the basics of what I think is right and what I think is wrong, but that doesn't mean I'm always right. I will state my opinions and you will state yours, but unless you say something racist or sexist or homophobic I'm not going to say anything against it. (Although, if you have really crazy views, I'll probably lose some respect for you...that's life and it's unavoidable.)

If you tell me you're right and I'm stupid, however, I'm not going to get a damn thing out of our conversation besides you being condescending. It's not going to help either of us. So if you can't have a civil conversation without being high and mighty, don't.