AND I OOP-ED

All throughout my school career, I have been told to not put your opinion into a paper.  The point of
writing a paper on a subject is to show the reader the facts and let them decide what they want to do with it. 
This was tough because I want to share what I think and why I think it. Maybe the reader would better
understand my reasoning.  For this reason, I really did not like writing at all. Why do I have to write
about something I can not give my opinion on? You are not even supposed to use the word “I” in a paper. 
I guess in a way you can kind of steer your reader a certain direction, but still I rather just not write
papers entirely. That before I came across what is called an OP-ed. 

An Op-ed article is an article written on opinions. 

There are actual facts, but opinions mostly steer this way of writing. One thing I like about writing an
opinion based article is there are not as long as normal writing assignments.  Duke University says,
“Limit the article to 750 words.”  Writing to me is usually not fun at all. So I enjoy when an assignment
does not have to be pages long.  With an opinion based article I can quickly state what I believe in and
why and then have it be over. 

You do not even have to be all knowing to form an opinion on something.  You do not have to be a
politician to have an opinion on politics, but it is best to know the subject before speaking on it. 
Speaking on a topic you do not know much about can hurt you. For example, NBA GM of the Houston
Rockets tweeted in favor of the anti-government protesting in Hong Kong and China ended up pulling
sponsorship from the NBA.  The NBA has had a substantial financial loss as a result of China pulling
their sponsorship and now Houston Rockets GM is under heavy fire from China.  It is best to not speak
on subjects you do not know too well.  

So when writing an Op-ed make a single point and stick with it.  Like if I am going to try to persuade
someone that Right twix is better than Left twix, I'd say I will always go right because my ex left
(Cheesy joke but I am trying to reach the word requirement).  My whole article will focus around the
greatness of Right twix over dumb, over-priced Left twix. You could even change someone’s opinion
through an op-ed. You probably tried to change past boyfriends/girlfriends and gave up thinking that
people don't change.  I am here to tell that people can change just like their opinion can change too!! A
strong op-ed can go a long way. 

In my opinion, my favorite part of this class is writing the blogs.  This is where I can be real and say
what I think and get a grade for it.  I can even get a grade for being fake.