Maxjeet

I have seen this a lot on X: what you say often doesn’t matter. Before your words are even considered, people judge how you look, where you come from, your age, your ideology, your background, your education, your profession, your income, everything seems to matter more than what you actually say or the opinion you hold on a particular topic. If people disagree with your opinion, they often respond with things like: “Oh, you look like this, how can you have an opinion on this?” “Oh, you belong to a tier-5 village, how can you have an opinion?” “Oh, you’re just a BA graduate, how can you have an opinion?” “Oh, you’re just a clerk in some government office, how can you have that opinion?” “Oh, you earn only ₹30,000 a month, how can you have this opinion?” “Oh, you’re short, how can you have an opinion?” “Oh, you’re dark-skinned, how can you have an opinion?” There are countless arguments like these that people are ready with whenever they disagree with someone. Whether you are right or wrong, they instantly attack your personal characteristics instead of addressing your argument. When they don’t have a counterargument, they resort to personal attacks. They seem to believe that someone from a village, a lower-income background, with darker skin, shorter height, or any other personal trait is somehow less entitled to have an opinion.