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Colorado Voices: On opinions
Tuesday, June 23rd 2026

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Colorado Voices: On opinions

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By | Special to The Denver Post
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Getting your player ready...

Not everyone gets a chance to express opinions in a big-city newspaper like The Denver Post. How fortunate I am.

Or am I? What difference can I make?

The word “opinion” is defined as, “the view somebody takes about an issue, especially when it is based on personal judgment.” Sure, I have personal judgments about lots of things, but is anyone really interested and, more important, is it going to make a difference?

Here are some of my personal judgments as they pop into my mind:

  •  The last election campaign was horrible. Crude and cruel statements were made by one candidate against another. If all the money they spent fighting each other were given to the poor and homeless, how much better our country would be. I find the waste appalling. If political parties can raise that much money for a candidate, why can’t these same fund-raising geniuses raise that kind of money for education? I can complain or write about it, but I feel helpless to make a change.

  •  I think it looks terrible when older women wear the low-cut clothes that are designed for younger women. So what am I going to do? Should I tell my bridge partner that I do not think her cleavage is attractive?

  •  “Helicopter parents,” those who are constantly hovering over their growing and grown children, are doing them harm. The cellphone and texting has become the ever-present umbilical cord joining child and parent. Children have to break away and deal with the consequences of their own decisions as they grow up, even if their decisions are not always the best according to their parents. Maybe a few people will listen to my opinion on this because child development is my professional field. But most will deny that I am describing them.

  •  We should not use military power to solve international political problems. Lots of people have that opinion. Look at all the wars or military actions the U.S. has been involved in since World War II. aps don’t count much here, either.

  •  Social Security has been very helpful for my generation. Now there may not be enough money to continue it. Will anyone ask my generation to help figure out how to continue it for the baby boomers? I doubt it.

    I sound pretty cynical, don’t I? In truth, I hope to influence opinions. I believe in planning for aging. I believe in allowing people to die when they are ready and sometimes helping them. I’ve written about volunteering, which I encourage seniors to do. And as both a friend and a professional counselor, I encourage people to express their opinions. If someone has done an injustice to you, don’t complain to me but rather seek the person out and in an appropriate way explain the problem. Often two views can be solved between people in a non-confrontational way.

    So what is my opinion about opinions? Despite the frustration I feel in the examples I have presented, I certainly cherish the facts that I live in a country where I have the freedom to express my judgments. I don’t have all the facts, but my impression is that Mothers Against Drunk Driving and a few other groups have made a remarkable change in kids’ behavior regarding drinking and driving. Yes, they still drink too much and they still drive, but there is usually a designated driver who doesn’t drink so the group can travel around safely. This is certainly an example of an opinion that grew into a mission that brought about a change.

    I am glad that I was chosen by the Denver Post to express my opinions — even if I feel pretty helpless about some issues.

    Margery Fridstein (mfridstein@comcast.net) is a psychological counselor in Highlands Ranch.

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