I don't know who to be more angry with, the people saying it, or those who follow without question.

I've always thought that a person should be careful of their words, because they never know who may be listening, but that's not exactly right. When you're too careful with your words, your point may be lost in the indecisive babble. And a person should be able to state their opinion, then change it later as their knowledge grows.


The key is not to take everything you hear as truth, and recycling it as fact without stopping to think about all the different variables to any given view. Put yourself in the other guy's shoes for a moment. Be empathetic. If you still can't understand their point of view, then at least you've taken the effort. If that doesn't open the door to communication, then 'try, try again' until you come across someone else who is willing to be open and honest and teach you, rather than preach at you.


In short, people have a right to their beliefs, but they don't have to be your beliefs. It's up to you to decide whether they're being honest or deceitful in stating them, and it's up to you to pass them on.