Am I really an idiot?

For the past few weeks, I've been spending a lot of time at the medical school. I've gotten to know a little about most of the students in my class, and I had assumed until today that they were pretty much like me. Obviously, they weren't exactly like me. How fun would that be to have 125 cynical, story-telling doctors? Wait, that doesn't sound so bad...

Back to my point. This morning I accidently mentioned in the study lounge that I was excited to watch the presidential debates and how I thought one candidate was a complete idiot and the other was a complete bore. Well, I offended one particular student in the lounge. He proceeded to tell me that I was a complete idiot. Now, I agree that maybe I shouldn't have stated my opinion so bluntly, but isn't everyone entitle to their opinion? I didn't say that people who supported the candidate were stupid. I didn't even say that the other guy was the best option.

So, I conceded that I was an idiot for saying that, but since I'm always up for a good argument, I asked him why he supported his guy. Instead of a typical answer most people my age would give about the issues, he went off on a 30 minute speal about a bunch of war bullshit I didn't understand (this is the same kid who calls the student paper the "communist liberal paper" as if that is going to get me to stop reading it). I was thinking, "Damn, I must be pretty stupid since I have no idea what this kid is talking about." But then I tried to interupt him, and realized as he lost his place, that he had no idea what he was talking about either. I asked him where he heard all of this, and he said something about watching Fox news and his dad being in the military. Then I realized, these weren't his opinions. They were other people's opinions that he was passing off as his own. Now I was thinking, "Dear God, wouldn't you think someone who is so educated would be able to form his own opinions?" I mean, if you have no strong feeling about politics (as many people my age don't) that's fine, but don't state someone's elses opinion as your own. I began to realize that this is probably happening all of the time. People only listen to one side of the issues be it through their parents, co-workers, classmates, whoever. Then they think that must be right because everyone else says so. I say, by God make up your own damn mind. If you disagree with me, that's great. I'd love to have a debate with someone who is a strong-willed as I am.