“We just have a difference of opinion” – remember that?  We heard that a lot during the pandemic, usually from someone that is talking out of their ass and comparing their opinion to something stated by a doctor, scientist, researcher, or in a published article.  This person is often comparatively uneducated, and inexperienced with the topic at hand.  Sure, everyone is entitled to an opinion, but no one is entitled to have their opinions valued the same as anyone else’s, or even heard for that matter.

Yeah… no, that is not a difference of opinion.  A difference of opinion requires that the options have the same weight or gravitas.  In order for that to happen, the parties involved have to be peers, or at least pretty damn close to it.  If not, then it is not a difference of opinion – that is just the dumb opinion.

For example:

Rando: The PCR tests cannot tell the difference between COVID-19 and the common cold!

Scientist: Um, we can use PCR tests to not just detect SARS-CoV-2, but we can even detect specific variants in the sample.  Where did you read…

Rando: Um, well, we just have a difference of opinion, I guess.

Whadda think?  Is that really a difference of opinion, or just a idiot that has no idea what they are talking about?