Facts and Opinions

I was reading an article yesterday about a customer who yelled at this cashier. This cashier had Aspergers and the customer thought he moved too slow. The writer clearly thought the customer behaved inappropriately.

The article didn’t convince me though. How slow was the cashier moving? What did the customer say? The answers to these questions are facts. Opinions are flexible. Facts are not. Facts make opinions more compelling.

When I read reviews of movies, restaurants, and products, I look for facts. Or, as close to facts as I can get. After all, some things are simply subjective (e.g. “this food is too salty”).

Last, facts treat readers with more respect. They give readers an opportunity judge for themselves.