My point wasn’t: „Opinions can’t be wrong.“ My point was: „Objectively (or at least intersubjectively) wrong opinions shouldn’t qualify as unpopular opinions for this community.“

That’s a better definition than mine.

Thanks for reminding me of his name (his story I remembered)

Sorry, I wasn’t precise: I don’t interact with people beyond a certain level of „unhingedness“ in social media. Face to face on the other hand I think it’s important to speak up (if you don’t put yourself in harms way). But even in real life there’s a point where I end the communication: When I get the feeling, the other person is only using me as a jump pad to push his talking points on bystanders or is not interested in actually listening to each other.

A Wiglaf Droste said something about this over thirty years ago and I like his statement, because he takes Nazis seriously and thinks they are capable of making their own decisions and should live with the consequences of those decisions:

Everyone is seeking dialogue with right-wing extremists. Why? Do they have anything to say? Isn’t it already well known what they think, demand, and propagate? […] Do we have to sniff every trash can? No one votes for Nazis or becomes one because they are mistaken about their goals—the opposite is true: Nazis are Nazis because they want to be. One of the most unpleasant German traits—that dripping self-pity and pity for one’s own countrymen—turns such evolutionary aberrations into poor, misguided souls, essentially good but just a bit unstable, etc., “people,” in any case, according to Heinz Eggert [german politician from the 90‘s], “for whom we must fight.”

Why? I am completely indifferent to the fate of Nazis; whether they go hungry, freeze, wet the bed, have bad dreams, etc., is none of my business. There is only one thing that interests me about them: that they be prevented from doing what they do when left unchecked—threatening and, if possible, killing those who do not fit into their cigar-box world. Whether they are locked up for it or have to be laid on the autopsy table is all the same to me, and anyone who dreams of the camp (for others) is welcome to go there themselves.

The existence of God or how future events play out is unprovable, so you can have an opinion on it. But if you try to tell me „cat“ is the French word for fish it’s not unpopular, it’s just wrong.

This is we’re I disagree. There’s absolutely no reason interact at all with someone who says stuff like this. Either they are a troll and shouldn’t be „fed“ or they are serious and should be blocked. There is no reasoning with fascists. There should be things people don’t dare to say because some things are not only morally, but ethically unbearable. And „Hitler was right“ is one of those things.

I thought unpopular opinion meant: „I feel a bit alone with my opinion on xyz, is there someone who shares this opinion?“ I think it shouldn’t mean: „Here is my completely unhinged take on xyz that would get me banished from my community if I ever said it out loud“.

So imho it’s expected to stumble unpon people that agree with you.

It should be for „ I think socks in sandals are cute.“ and not „Hitler was a great guy and did nothing wrong.“