Why do some people on this website act like their opinion is a fact?

[Anonymous]

[AI Opinion]

On GirlsAskGuys (and online in general), people sometimes present their opinions like facts for a few common reasons:

1. Strong personal bias or experience
If something matches their own life experience very strongly, they can feel absolutely certain it’s “just how it is,” even if it’s only true for them or a small group.

2. Lack of nuance in online conversations
Short replies, quick reactions, and limited context make people write in absolute terms (“always,” “never,” “all women/men…”) instead of adding nuance (“often,” “in my experience,” “for me personally”).

3. Desire to appear confident or knowledgeable
Some users think sounding very sure of themselves makes their opinion more persuasive, so they skip language that shows doubt or flexibility.

4. Echo chambers & agreement
If they see lots of similar opinions on the site, they may start believing that view is a universal truth instead of just a popular perspective in that community.

5. Misunderstanding what a “debate” is
Some treat every discussion like a debate they must “win,” so they present views as facts and dismiss disagreement instead of treating it as sharing perspectives.

If it bothers you on your own posts, you do have options:

- Ignore or skip opinions that aren’t productive.
- Ask for sources or clarification: “Is this based on research or just personal experience?”
- Use the hide feature on your own posts:
- On your question or myTake, you can click the three-dot menu (overflow menu) on an opinion or reply and select “I don't want to see this.”
- This removes it from *your* thread view without reporting it or making the other user lose Xper points.

More on opinions and managing them:
- FAQ: https://www.girlsaskguys.com/faq/posts

[EzraIsShy76028]

Not unique to this website, people in general really don't know the difference between opinion and fact, or subjective and objective. They'll say something like "fruit cake tastes awful" and act like it's an objective fact and anyone who likes fruit cake is wrong. Or they'll say something like "racism doesn't exist anymore in 2026" and say it's a subjective opinion when it's really not an opinion at all. It's literally just incorrect.

[NoDecision]

Why does everything have to be a fact? What fun is that if we can't dream and suppose of what could be or not be. Ask 10 people their opinion on something and you will get 10 different answers. We never learn if we don't ask questions and have someone in the know to answer them.

[Nikki1989]

Not all "opinions" are equal. Some are informed. More are uninformed. Most are false; a falsehood cannot be opinion, and G@G is full of falsehoods that mostly come from anonymous users. (funny that!)

[NathanDavis]

sometimes... some opinions are actually facts


and that's a fact...

[Asker]

An opinion cannot be a fact.

[NathanDavis]

I know very well that opinions are not facts, no

however... an opinion can be indeed, A, fact

[Asker]

Examples?

[lilBigPotato]

An opinion is just an opinion, but if it's based on facts, then the option itself becomes a fact too.

[WhitneySnow]

Good question! Or rely on questionable sources

[MrChinaski]

It's my opinion. And that's good enough for me.

[FunkyMonkee]

Maybe because, sometimes, they are.

[Asker]

How can an opinion be a fact?
Can you give me an example?

[FunkyMonkee]

If they got it from the facts.
If somebody else tells you their opinion and you agree with that, that becomes your opinion, too, doesn't it?
Well, if someone tells you the facts about something and you find no reason to dispute them, and agree with them, they should become your opinion, too.

[Asker]

A fact is objective. Ignoring facts doesn’t change reality. Many people including me don’t like the fact skin naturally wrinkles as people get older but that is just an obvious reality.

[FunkyMonkee]

It doesn't mean that you HAVE to KNOW the facts! They spew opinion on the news constantly but you probably believe all of that as fact, don't you? And, because that's what the news says, you believe that as fact, right? They recently reported that J. D. Vance went to Russia to meet with Putin except that, we have video of Vance at a public meeting right here in Va. when he was supposedly in Russia!
They've spent the past 63 years trying to make you believe that Oswald killed Kennedy when we've known for decades that Lee was on the SECOND floor in the lunch room having a Coke, at the time and the kill shot came from the FRONT!!

On SOME people!! Others never get wrinkles!

[RedInnocent69]

Superior judgment

[Anonymous]

Because they have experience, they know