If I go by my personal experience — mostly built on social media and behind the counters of the bars where I logged plenty of hours to pay for my studies (and later to help fund my business): YES.

I’ve heard wildly far-fetched stories, I’ve laughed a lot while drying glasses and serving café-calvas at hours that defy common sense. It always amused me to watch the regulars debate at the counter; they never see each other anywhere but here, and every topic passes through: politics, economics, diplomacy, culture… From the bar’s playlist to the latest international conflict, from the very religious grandmother to the barfly who pops a pill between his galopins (little beers) so he can down one more — there’s always an opinion on everything. Except that, from my side of the counter, I smile — but most of the time I’m flabbergasted by the absurdity of the smoky theories aired on the other side. If you’ve never experienced a counter-conference, you really should go spend a morning in a neighborhood bar; sit within earshot of the counter and enjoy. I warn you, you may grind your teeth, feel the urge to howl at the nonsense, burst out laughing — and maybe even run for the door.

Social media is the new bar counter

I read years ago that social networks had replaced bar counters. I can only agree with that terrifying observation. I’m sure that, like me behind the counter, you’re often embarrassed watching painfully embarrassing — not to say problematic — opinions splash across your screen.

The screen works on the user like Calvados works on patrons: it loosens tongues. And that’s how we end up with a population of experts in anything and everything pulled from thin air. The Calva effect is contagious, and television (still the main source of information in Europe) becomes an extension of the counter that echoes it, too. Everyone has an opinion on everything — especially those we wish would keep quiet. It’s statistically proven that when journalists look for experts to interview on various topics, they more easily find men than women, even if it means interviewing someone less qualified (thankfully, there are initiatives to help re-balance this side of things). The vicious circle kicks in: we interview pseudo-experts (not always — don’t put words in my mouth) and serve that up to a public that ends up pseudo-informed, thereby feeding pseudo-debates. Thus the magic of the counter is preserved and the calva can keep quenching the thirst of those who, by the grace of approximation, have an opinion on everything.

But as I was saying, it isn’t just café-calva lovers who unload their opinions freely. It’s an international sport — we even received “sound advice” from the president of a world power about solving the pandemic that hit us head-on. Thankfully, a good portion of the population kept a sliver of common sense, and bleach shots never had the success our dear Donald might have hoped for.

Did you say “far-fetched”?

I decided to write about this for two reasons: my piece on solitude is taking me much longer than expected, and Beyoncé just launched a haircare line.

It’s common knowledge that Beyoncé isn’t the kind of artist who gives dozens of interviews; the family images we see are mostly those she uses in the scenography of her tours. So when she announced her haircare brand Cécred, you can imagine how the kings and queens of baseless opinions jumped for joy. I saw an incalculable number of posts, threads, and (fewer) articles — because it takes a bit of courage to actually develop an argument, and when your position rests on hot air it’s much easier to stick to a fat hundred characters — and other stories about the inevitable failure to which this not-yet-launched brand was supposedly doomed. “Beyoncé doesn’t have a strong personal brand, all her merch (perfumes, clothing) flopped, this is one more idea headed straight for oblivion.” Just as she was criticized for Renaissance, and a whole slew of other initiatives and risks she took, the internet went wild (and yes, the absence of chains makes that process almost too easy).

And then came the Verizon ad aired during the Super Bowl halftime show, the announcement of her next album, and the release of two first tracks. Suddenly, chaos — in the best sense. The Beyhive (including some who had publicly said they weren’t sure they’d buy the products — “too expensive, not great quality anyway”) is electrified: we’re going country! At the same time, Beyoncé ended the Renaissance Tour show on a huge disco horse, and we all put on our best Stetsons to go dance to her house tracks — we really could have seen this very controlled pivot coming.

All at once, the internet decides Beyoncé is a genius again, the Essence magazine piece and the shoot with Tina Knowles are everywhere, and the marketing plan is tailor-made. Believe my long experience (and my indecent level of passion for anything that touches Queen B, even from afar): this product line is a strategic choice with every chance of working. Because if “uncle Johnny made her dress,” her mother has always taken care of her hair, and Miss Tina’s salon could be considered a place of pilgrimage. It’s where Destiny’s Child got their start, where the hard work began — it’s the genesis of the myth you all know today. Beyoncé is capitalizing on her legend, on her heritage. She doesn’t have a strong personal brand? Are you so sure? What about her legendary hair? You’re starting to see why Cécred isn’t just a superficial spin-off, right?

And so those who were throwing the brand into the fire before they’d thought for three minutes find themselves singing the praises of Beyoncé and her strategy. The very same people. I double-checked the threads and posts on Instagram — I hate name and shame, so I won’t give you the satisfaction of screenshots; I’ll let you do your own digging.

This example is a drop in the ocean of the absurdities I see online every day. At the same time, when you love successful women, you’re destined to watch them get insulted — more or less directly — at the slightest opportunity. I’ll probably talk one day about the hatred of success in general, and women’s success in particular.

Careful, I’m not saying it’s forbidden to change your mind, to get it wrong, and to retract what you said. On the contrary, I think being able to change your mind after doing your research — or for other reasons, for that matter — is a real quality that few people have. And it’s a quality you have to practice. Keeping an open mind, genuinely studying the arguments that oppose our own to dodge confirmation bias as much as possible — these are workouts that bruise the ego, so we often run away from them without even realizing.

People who doubt

My point is quite simple: you are not obliged to have an opinion on everything.

I don’t understand when we lost sight of this premise, which seems pretty basic to me. It’s obvious we cannot, humanly speaking, have enough information on every subject that comes our way to form a coherent, relevant opinion. It’s not a sign of weakness or lack of intelligence to have no opinion or to say “I don’t know.” I actually think that, these days, it takes courage not to have an opinion.

Ask my partner whether he enjoys getting my wrath when we discuss feminist topics on which he feels too poorly informed to have an opinion. He listens, asks me questions — but when I exclaim “You don’t agree?!” and he calmly answers “I can’t have an opinion, I don’t know the subject well enough,” believe me, he’s being brave (given the rage that rises in me at that response — legitimate, but so frustrating).

It is therefore natural not to have an opinion, and you can absolutely take the time you need to build one — it’s even better if you do.

One of the things I loved most during prépa in Lyon — aside from revising on my terrace (yes, I was very lucky) — was the relentless pressure from our faculty to have us form our own opinions. We multiplied sources, learned to confront them, to think beyond what the press said. We learned to think for ourselves. They sharpened my critical mind (which started with a head start thanks to the fertile soil of my love of contradiction). Not everyone learned to do that, and it’s pretty tedious to go against the tide and tell the world “wait, I’m thinking — I don’t have an opinion yet.” Worse, sometimes I decide I don’t want an opinion on a question — yes, I decide it, and it’s my right. I won’t expand on our moral duty toward certain subjects, which in my view is deeply tied to our civic duty (I’d need much longer to explain this position, and that’s not the point of this article).

So how do you build an opinion?

And above all, what do you do when you don’t have one?

“I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything that I don’t know the other side’s argument better than they do.”
— Charlie Munger

There aren’t thirty-six solutions: you’re going to have to do your research. If you want to have a solid opinion on a topic, I suggest you arm yourself with patience and curiosity, and diversify your sources as much as possible. Again, the quality of the information and the expertise of the source providing it are two non-negligible variables.

Another good way to shape an opinion is to understand different viewpoints by asking people around you — people who will have different (and often very firm) opinions — how they arrived at their conclusions. Tell them it will help you forge your own opinion and, normally, you’re off to the races. The key to having an opinion that holds up is to be patient, listen closely, and always do the research work.

Don’t take at face value the people who sling stats by the ladle. What are their sources? What about the sample used? Its size? etc. We live in a world where blatantly false numbers are shamelessly regurgitated on television during election campaigns, so you can imagine that John-I’ve-seen-it-all-let-me-explain-life-to-you won’t hesitate to spout whoppers with impressive confidence. I beg you, don’t become that person. Check your stats! If you find things on social media, ask the people who created the content for their sources. And verify them! I’m using exclamation points because it’s essential that you investigate. Get in the habit of not simply reusing a piece of info served to you in 30 seconds in a TikTok. I see too many people sending me reels or other clips saying “Did you see this?” (if it’s otters — thank you a thousand times), yes I saw — but did you check where it came from? Whether the content was edited? What the context is? Whether the person sharing has an interest in pushing one angle rather than another? I think you see where I’m going.

For topics on which you don’t have an opinion

Examples:

• What’s the optimal material for the soles of shoes used for tap-dancing?
• Who is the best recorder player in France?
• What should I cook for dinner tonight?

Well, it’s pretty simple:

1. Just say you don’t have an opinion on the question.
2. If they insist, explain that you don’t know enough about the topic and, if you like, invite your interlocutor to develop their position.
3. If they keep insisting and it becomes unpleasant, you can change the subject or leave the conversation.

That may seem radical to some, but you have the right to say, “I’d rather leave it there for now.” I do it often when I don’t have the energy to debate with people who show as much open-mindedness as my nephews when you explain that no, the Switch is not the solution to getting them to be quiet. Nothing obliges you to give your opinion. I have very firm views on some topics that I don’t share depending on who I’m with. I choose the moments and the people with whom I’ll debate certain subjects, to protect myself and to feed myself on conversations that will be conducted intelligently. I don’t want to prove that I’m right — I want to test my arguments and potentially change my mind if I see that the arguments across from me leave no chance for mine (because they’re solid, not because they’re peremptory).

That’s it — I don’t have much more to add on the subject… Except maybe this video for those who keep on doubting.