The purpose of opinion

Sam StroudOpinion Editor During my time at the Tropolitan, I have written quite a few columns I can categorize into the great, the okay, and the downright horrible. I like to think most of my columns fall into the first category. A few may fall into the second. And almost none fall into the third. As I have often pointed out in my writings for this paper, reality trumps feelings. In all actuality, just under 1% of what I have written is great. I would say 79% of what I have written is okay, and then 20% falls into the horrible category which makes me shudder. In short, my writing was never perfect. The reason I write is not to show off - it is to foster interesting and insightful discourse. I believe the opinion section is best used when it can foster conversations between those who pick it up and give it an honest read. For there to be discourse, there must be differences of opinion. I have loads of opinions, and I have and will continue to write about them in this section. The section needs more than one opinion to function though, otherwise it becomes a soapbox. As editor, it is my job to make sure the opinion section is covered with diverse and respectful opinions to help contribute to meaningful discourse, political, cultural, or otherwise on our campus. You do not need to be a brilliant writer to contribute- I certainly am not. You just need to be passionate about a belief which can help foster intellectual growth among the students here at Troy University.