Unpopular Opinions Thread

[Cincydawg]

I sorta recall when Excel made inroads.  My company of course dictated what we had on our computers and suddenly it was Windows, Excel, Word, etc.  We had some very lame communications program.  Then, suddenly, we all had to turn in out stuff for Apple Macs.  That was a problem for me because we had lab computers that could only be IBM types.  The "police" let me skate after some jawing.  

Then about a year later we all turned in our Macs for ... IBM machines.  Meanwhile they were offering training for the techs who saw this in some cases as an excuse to miss work, they HAD to be trained in how to use all this "new" stuff.  A friend of mine had a tech sign up for every course she could, he got curious and got the sign in sheets, she never showed for any of'em.

[Riffraft]

I was using Visicalc in 1981.  It was fascinating, an early version of Excel and Lotus 123.  I don't think we called them spreadsheets until later.

Lotus 123 was fancier, and I used Symphony a lot because it was basically Lotus 1-2-3-4-5.  I could interface equipment with Symphony with an RS232 link.

This was major stuff back then.

It was fun using format codes and not seeing how it looked until you printed the spreadsheet.  Wysiwyg was one of the best things to come along. Originally used visualc then quattro pro then to lotus 123 didn't start using excel until well in the 90s. Hated Microsoft and avoided their products as long as i could

[SFBadger96]

All the talk about the Huskers and overturned calls and the like:

I dislike VAR--or at least the current version of it--for soccer. It could be improved, rather than removed, but I would limit it to extremes.

The offside review has become silly on VAR. It has destroyed the way penalties get enforced. It has made the fans' relationship with referees worse--which is one thing at the top tier, and quite another everywhere else, where VAR isn't available. 

Should it be available to rule out things like Maradona's Hand of God? Yes. And goals that either do or do not plainly cross the line? Yes. A player in an offside position that a referee or assistant referee should have plainly seen as offside? Sure. Should it be used to review every damn ticky-tack fall an attacker has in the penalty area? No. Or to review a referee's judgment about every potential hand ball? Or some play that happened 10 seconds earlier that is a judgment call penalty that erases what came later? Or whether someone's toe or shoulder was in an offside position? No. And it's had negative consequences that have poured down (not trickled) as far as 7U soccer pitches, which is INSANE.

[betarhoalphadelta]

My wife's been wanting a laptop, and she's all in on the Apple ecosystem. Costco is currently running a sale on Apple products, so I ordered her a Macbook Air yesterday. 

Then I realized... Wait, they probably have a sale going on the watch too, and her Series 4 Apple Watch is getting SERIOUSLY long in the tooth. 

I was right, so I ordered one of those 5 minutes ago. 

And that was after spending $425 for my grocery haul at Costco this morning...

[Cincydawg]

Full disclosure, I own some Costco stock, so I'm happy.  We go in for four things and come out having spent $500.

[SFBadger96]

Unpopular opinion: it made rational sense for me to summarize all of the unpopular opinions in this thread, then ask ChatGPT to analyze them, as follows:

summarize and analyze which is the most unpopular opinion and which is the best opinion out of the following: 
Pickles suck.  They taste bad.  In fact, anything cucumber related sucks and tastes bad.
People shouldn't have animals/pets.
People shouldn't drink baby bovine growth drink.  
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS BREAKFAST FOOD!  It's all just food.
Basically every state is some degree of fine, depending on preference and where you are. Although if you don’t like Chicago, I could see the argument Illinois has little redeeming about it.
So, it is my opinion that Hunter should have plead guilty to these charges because, 1) he's clearly guilty, and 2) it would speed the process up so that his father is still President and could pardon him.
Everyone should move to Austin, TX.
Bread is overrated and unnecessary. 
Golf is not a sport.
Mustard is the most foul tasting condiment there is
Animals do not belong in restaurants
Everything taste better with cheese. Corollary, there is no such thing as too much cheese
Animals do not belong on airplanes.
STAR WARS is UNFORGIVABLE TRASH!
The original Star Wars is the greatest movie of all time.
The original trilogy is the greatest movie trilogy of all time.
Star Trek > Star Wars
Penn St. has the best uniform in all of sports.
The other scam is handicap parking spaces.
The Corn Palace is probably the top tourist attraction in the US.
I'd rather hit my blade 2 iron than a rescue club from 240 out.
The theory of evolution is just as well proven as the theory of climate change
I really can't stand Ozzy.  I'm okay with most of his Black Sabbath stuff, but his solo stuff is not my cup of tea. "Crazy Train" makes me want to scrape my ears off my body.
Alternative rock in the 90's was neither revolutionary nor innovative. It was just rock music marketed well.
Baroque (don't fix it), Classical, Romantic, Jazz, Blues, Big Band, Lawrence Welk, then the music died.
The only proper way to prepare a steak is a ribeye cooked medium rare over charcoal with hickory chips sprinkled in. The steak must be seared in a hotter-than-hell cast iron skillet with melted butter, garlic, thyme,  and onions before throwing it on the grill. It must be lightly spiced with a combination of salt and lemon pepper seasoning.
3 Doors Down is an underrated band.
Jessica Alba is not, and never was....hot.
Margo Robbie is a dog.
The United States should adopt a universal health care system, similar to most Western European countries, and end healthcare as a perk of your job.
Penn State didn't get any game protected so that the Big Ten could avoid the OSU-Michigan rematch in the CCG, as the Lions get to fatten up on cupcakes to the tune of 10 or 11 wins per year.
allowing the government to manage ANYTHING is a nightmare
Red fescue is better than Kentucky blue grass in the Midwest for your lawn.
One point that can't be debated "SEINFELD" SUCKED and while we're at it "FRIENDS"was the worst
Chick-fil-A is a terrible chicken sandwich. Damp, soggy, and tasteless.
Popeye’s > Chick Fil A
I actually like it when Notre Dame is good.
I prefer dining out at lunch to dinner
Grinding salt is a waste of time and effort.
Indian food is the best asian food
sushi ain't just sushi- it's all about the preparation
Portland, Maine >>>>>> Portland, Oregon
German food is awesome.
Hamilton the play is boring garbage
Baseball is objectively the worst sport
Shohei Ohtani is the greatest baseball player in history
I dislike the phrase "asking for a friend".
Cucumber is my favorite fruit.
the LOTR triology is mediocre and extremely repetitive.
San Diego is terrible
Pitchers should hit in major league baseball
War and Peace is complete, utter, useless, trash.
I dislike New Orleans
Paris is least favorite French city.
Stranger In A Strange Land was a wildly masturbatory over indulgence in self
Godfather II is mediocre.
I hate mob movies in general.
Godfather III isn't really that bad
The back up quarterback is usually a back up for a reason and even if a coach is wrong, they’re wrong for reasons that still have to do with being much much smarter about football than you.
on any restaurant menu, the burger is probably a weak link unless it’s not a very good restaurant.
Most "classic" books suck.
Chamberlain had no real choice at Munich.
The Maginot Line did it's job.
Manstein was the best general in WW 2.
Paris is my least favorite city in France.
The port cities in Asia all look alike.
Nick Chubb was better than Herschel.
Pride and Prejudice is a great novel.
People around the world are more alike than not.
The world would have been better off had Germany won WW 1.
Facebook can be pretty amusing.
My go to "hot sauce" is Tabasco green.
I prefer chicken legs to chicken wings.
Gambling is a tax on the mathematically challenged.
Okra is delicious, even boiled, but is best fried.
Good enough is better than perfect.
I fear our country is headed downhill. [I’m struggling to see this as an unpopular opinion]
Land set aside for parks is nearly always desirable.
I prefer the mountains to the beach.
Hardly any place serves fresh fish any more. [Is this an opinion?]
The needs of the many etc etc. [you didn’t finish this thought…but I assume it would end outweigh the needs of the few.]
Gymnastics is not a sport.  In fact nothing with a judged outcome, is a sport.
I don't really care for breakfast sausage.
Chicken sausage sucks. Turkey sausage sucks.
If "my team" isn’t doing well, I stop watching.
sausage is almost exclusively good or bad based on the spices and not the meat.
The noon timeslot in college football is the best one.
CFB GameDay is a clown show suckfest
labels like "free range", "gluten free", "organic", "hypoallergenic", whatever, are marketing ploys with little substance behind them, or meaning, or advantage.
I didn't think Tom Brady was as bad as everyone piled on him for being last year as a first-year broadcaster.
Passenger jets should have afterburning engines. [I don’t believe you really believe this…]
Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports... all the others are games
Extreme cold is better than extreme heat [for weather].
You should donate unwanted pets to zoos to feed to their predators.
Alfred Hitchcock sucks
There should be no crosswalks.  Cars should always have the right of way.  Pedestrians need to proceed with caution and always wait for traffic to pass.
If a driver sees a pedestrian who wants to cross the road,  the driver needs to drive right by.  The pedestrian can wait until the drive has passed.
If a sign says traffic should merge into 1 lane in one mile,  then traffic should use 2 lanes for the next mile.   No need to merge into 1 lane before the actual merge.
More freeways lanes mean more traffic.
I dislike VAR for soccer.


This will be a formatting nightmare, but here is ChatGPT's response:
Here’s a comprehensive summary and analysis of the opinions you shared, including an assessment of the most unpopular and the best opinion based on likely public sentiment, cultural norms, and reasoning strength.
🔥 Most Unpopular Opinion: "The world would have been better off had Germany won WWI."
Why It's the Most Unpopular:

• Historical Context: This contradicts mainstream historical understanding and touches on sensitive themes of nationalism, colonialism, and authoritarianism.
• Moral Implications: Suggesting a better outcome from Germany winning WWI brushes uncomfortably close to legitimizing the rise of fascism or imperial power in Europe.
• Public Reception: Few people, even in contrarian or academic circles, would voice this without extensive justification and nuance. It risks being inflammatory or offensive without context.

🏆 Best (Most Defensible) Opinion: "People around the world are more alike than not."
Why It's the Best:

• Universal Appeal: This is a thoughtful and optimistic belief that resonates with global citizenship and empathy.
• Social Impact: Promotes unity, peace, and cross-cultural understanding.
• Supported by Research: Psychology and sociology consistently demonstrate that human needs, values, and behaviors have strong cross-cultural commonalities.

📊 Categorization & Notable Standouts
🍽️ Food-Related Opinions

• Most controversial:
  
  • "Pickles suck" / "Bread is unnecessary" / "Mustard is foul" — These challenge staple preferences.
  • "Jessica Alba is not hot" / "Margo Robbie is a dog" — These border on disrespect and would be widely disliked for tone.
• Reasonable/unpopular mix:
  
  • "Chick-fil-A is terrible" vs. "Popeye's > Chick-fil-A" — Latter is gaining support, former still deeply unpopular.
  • "Indian food is the best Asian food" — Strong and defendable.
  • "Too much cheese doesn’t exist" — Widely accepted among cheese lovers.

🎬 Entertainment & Pop Culture

• Unpopular:
  
  • "Star Wars is unforgivable trash" / "Hamilton is boring garbage" / "Seinfeld sucks" — Challenge major fanbases.
• Popular:
  
  • "Original Star Wars is the greatest" / "Pride and Prejudice is great" — Widely held views.

🏈 Sports & Recreation

• Unpopular:
  
  • "Golf is not a sport" / "Gymnastics is not a sport" / "Baseball is objectively the worst sport" — Spark passionate debate.
• Agreeable:
  
  • "Noon college football slot is best" / "Shohei Ohtani is the greatest" — Fair, niche but defendable.

🐶 Animals & Ethics

• Most controversial:
  
  • "Pets shouldn't exist" / "Donate unwanted pets to zoos to feed predators" — Ethically and emotionally provocative.

🏙️ Places & Travel

• Unpopular:
  
  • "San Diego is terrible" / "Paris is my least favorite city in France" — Deeply subjective, likely to offend many.
• Agreeable:
  
  • "Portland, Maine >>> Portland, Oregon" — A growing sentiment among coastal travelers.

🚗 Driving & Transit

• Unpopular:
  
  • "No crosswalks; cars should always have right of way" — Public safety nightmare.
  • "Pedestrians can wait for cars" — Highly controversial, possibly dangerous logic.
• Popular/Logical:
  
  • "Use both lanes before a merge" — Traffic engineers agree this is most efficient.

🎶 Music

• Unpopular:
  
  • "90s alt-rock was just marketing" / "Alfred Hitchcock sucks" — Contradict mainstream critical consensus.
• Agreeable:
  
  • "3 Doors Down is underrated" — Nostalgic support possible.

🧠 Intellectual Takes

• Unpopular:
  
  • "Most classic books suck" / "War and Peace is trash" — Literary sacrilege.
• Respectable:
  
  • "Good enough is better than perfect" / "Labels like gluten-free are marketing" — Growing in practical popularity.

🏁 Final Rankings

[th]Category[/th] [th]Most Unpopular[/th] [th]Best Opinion[/th]
Overall	"The world would’ve been better off had Germany won WWI"	"People around the world are more alike than not"
Food	"Chick-fil-A is terrible"	"Everything tastes better with cheese"
Entertainment	"STAR WARS is unforgivable trash"	"Original Star Wars is the greatest movie of all time"
Sports	"Gymnastics is not a sport"	"Shohei Ohtani is the greatest baseball player in history"
Travel	"San Diego is terrible"	"Land set aside for parks is nearly always desirable"
Pets/Animals	"Donate pets to zoos to feed predators"	"Animals do not belong in restaurants" (defensible)
General Society/Ideas	"Germany winning WWI would be better"	"Good enough is better than perfect"

[Riffraft]

See it agrees with me everything is better with cheese

[847badgerfan]

Holy shit that took a while to get through.

[betarhoalphadelta]

[Cincydawg]

I win!!!!!

[FearlessF]

My wife's been wanting a laptop, and she's all in on the Apple ecosystem. Costco is currently running a sale on Apple products, so I ordered her a Macbook Air yesterday.

Then I realized... Wait, they probably have a sale going on the watch too, and her Series 4 Apple Watch is getting SERIOUSLY long in the tooth.

I was right, so I ordered one of those 5 minutes ago.

And that was after spending $425 for my grocery haul at Costco this morning...

and golf clubs for the eldest son???

[betarhoalphadelta]

and golf clubs for the eldest son???

Well, not Kirkland irons!

[Brutus Buckeye]

See it agrees with me everything is better with cheese

Everything except Chinese food. 

[Cincydawg]

So, AI seemed to miss my point about Germans winning WW One, entirely, which in part was, a German win avoids Nazism, I think.  We could still have German "adventurism", but probably to their east.  Presume they "won" in 1918, meaning they took over larger parts of France and held it, so France asked for a negotiated settlement, and GB went along.  Germany would have settled, I think, for another slice of France, influence over Belgium, and basically have become the largest power in Europe with overseas colonies etc.  France would still exist, probably in bad economic shape, GB would have their navy, worried about the German navy.  Russia had already collapsed into Leninism.  Germany would be in pretty good shape, low on food for a while.  The Kaiser would reign supreme.  Austria-Hungary would probably limp along for a while intact.

The middle east, well, harder to know, but it could hardly be worse than what happened there.  Maybe in ten years Germany attacks Russia, now on a single front, and Russia collapses again, Germany takes more territory of what is now Poland, maybe Ukraine splits off along with the Baltics and enter the German "orbit".  I don't see why Germany would attack west, as Hitler did, and Hitler would have remained a no account poor painter in Vienna.