Eva Bradley: Less opinion, more attitude

So, what do you think? It's something we all get asked ... all the time. But how often do we really respond truthfully to this question. And does anyone actually want to know your answer (especially if the question is "does my bum look big in this?").

Even though I feature weekly on the "opinions" page, it has never really occurred to me to take full advantage of what this implies and use these column inches as a place to vent my thoughts about life, or cast opinions on what has been happening in the world we live in.

For a start, there are far too many people doing that already, most of them more informed, more passionate about their cause or (and let's be honest here), more willing to irritate and enrage.

Being liked often means being quiet. I was always taught that if you haven't anything nice to say, say nothing at all.

While this can be irritating and enraging in an entirely different way (we all like a good vent sometimes and nothing is more irritating than the saintly friend who never joins in), there is also a lot to be said for speaking up and standing firm on an issue, whatever it may be.

When I was younger, I subscribed to this theory on an almost daily basis. As a result I was mildly disliked by many, passionately despised by some but grudgingly respected by all.

As a lippy teen, I won debating and speech competitions on all sorts of inflammatory topics, even suggesting that with the development in reproductive technology, we could get rid of the male species all together and all (well, half of us) be better off as a result.

As I've become older, I've learned to appreciate that all opinions are valid, some are best kept to oneself and there is never a clear-cut "right" or "wrong".

Life experience has also taught me that opinions are wasted on those that don't put their money where their loud mouth is and do something about making the things they feel strongly about in theory turn into a reality.

As my work hours have got longer and my lifespan shorter, I've had less time to act on the things I believe in, and in a chicken-and-egg situation I've also become more ambivalent about them too.

Once upon a time, I was all across the Government's budget announcement like a rash, eager to find out which sectors of the community were getting what and waxing lyrical about the perceived injustices of those I felt were missing out.

This week, I didn't even read the bullet point budget highlights. What's the point? Change will happen regardless of what I think about it, so why think about it?

This sort of attitude will no doubt generate a bunch of opinions more passionate than any I might have, but I suspect there will be more people who agree with me entirely.

What Aaron Gilmore did or did not say to a waiter - although essentially of very little national significance - has dominated headlines and sold far more newspapers this past week than budget decisions ever would or could.

If I was to volunteer an opinion, it would be that most people feel like they can't change the world they live in, so they might as well just be entertained by it, instead. Next time someone says "so, what do you think?", I really am going to have to answer honestly and say that, quite frankly, I don't.

Eva Bradley is an award-winning columnist.