How opinion writing gives us the conversations we deserve, not the screaming matches we crave

Given the world’s waning levels of patience for different points of view, the tendency to dismiss opinion journalism as mindless content – especially when it comes from those of us whose opinions are routinely discredited because of who we are, or how high or low-brow the topics we cover are considered to be – is far from surprising.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told that by frequently talking about race, as a black woman, in opinion articles, I’ve somehow sold myself short. Or that I clearly know nothing about what really matters in the world, namely when it comes to politics and economics – as if race and gender politics haven’t been entangled in both for centuries.

It’s usually influenced by the assumption that very little goes into writing an opinion piece; that the extent of the work of an opinion writer is gushing about one’s “feels” at length, and throwing in a few angry, self-righteous jibes for good measure. As frustrating as that can be, it makes sense that some have a hard time understanding what the point of comment is.

In my view, great opinion writing offers us a slightly more colourful understanding of what we know is happening in the world thanks to diligent reporting. It can also offer us impressions of what it means to experience something totally unique – such as what it’s like to flee China as an Uighur muslim, or what it’s like to belong to a community we rarely hear from.

We may not agree with the points of view further contextualising those issues, we may not even think a cause a writer has chosen to defend or tear down is important, but the point is, we’re engaging with these ideas and, as such, important conversations ensue.

And for every naysayer who wishes you didn’t have a platform to discuss things they don’t care about, there’s a selection of people who really will learn from, or relate to, what you have to say.

Unlike the shouting matches we often have on social media, opinion journalism offers the chance to have the sorts of nuanced and thoughtful discussions that time and high emotions don’t always allow for, and I couldn’t be happier that I get to play a part in shaping and guiding those debates.

Yours,

Kuba Shand-Baptiste

Voices commissioning editor