The ability to express one’s opinion through written language is one of the defining characteristics that distinguishes humans from other animals. Since the advent of the Internet, humans have used this medium to express their opinions rapidly and (so it seems) with decreasing empathy for their the opinion of others.

If you have ever wasted countless hours scrolling through the comments section of different memes, news stories, or opinion pieces you probably have witnessed people using (and abusing) their ability to express opinion through extensive arguing. These “Internet scholars”—bored stay-at-home whatevers, college kids procrastinating by trolling, or maybe even literal trolls just doing what they do—spend a lot of time constructing arguments that are usually highly fallacious, inconsistent, and fueled by their own emotions.

There’s nothing wrong with that, right?

While there is nothing wrong with expressing your opinion, it seems like a lot of the time people close their minds to the opposing viewpoint. When this happens a division is created amongst people, and the more that people argue without empathy, the wider the gap becomes and the less people understand each other. This can become dangerous when it starts to affect more people when the arguer addresses more serious issues. A recent example is the hysteria that spread like an oil spill in a natural water source amongst “Internet scholars” from both sides of the political spectrum this last election year... but I won't get into that today.

In order to combat this trend of close-minded arguing, people should practice critical thinking exercises such as arguing from their opponent’s point of view in order to understand them better. With understanding comes compassion, and compassion is the beginning to bridging the gap and becoming united. I have come up with an example of this exercise regarding a subject that is very dear to me.

It seems that recently there has been an agenda against pineapple on pizza. Memes have been created to shut down the idea that pineapples should grace the golden brown crust, smothered with marinara and mozzarella (mottsa’rella).

This is the only way I eat my pizza, so when I saw that people were challenging my fundamental human right to the tropical fruit on my carb loaded food item, I became confused. How can anyone NOT love the tidbits of pineapples randomly positioned amidst the cheese and pepperoni- it’s freaking phenomenal! The hate people have shown my beloved little pineapple buddies adorning a fresh, hot slice has provoked countless sleepless nights, consumed my days with despair, and created an internal dissonance that I could not figure out how to rid myself of—that is until now.

I am enlightened. I have put myself into the position of a #pineappledoesnotgoonpizza advocate, and came out with a better understanding and an acceptance for such opinion holders. These are the reasons that I came up with for the people who don’t like pineapple on their pizza.

1. They are a traditionalist.

This person just likes the classics; maybe they just want a cheese or pepperoni pizza. They don’t want change, or to try anything new. They were given three primary colors and that is what they shall stick with. They also don’t care for art.

2. Their palate has not matured.

Similar to the Traditionalist, this person enjoys things that they are accustomed too. However, they are open to trying new things, but just haven’t quite had enough experience and their palate isn’t quite ready to appreciate the sweet and salty contrast that is characteristic of the majestic pineapple pizza. Other foods this person enjoys are mac and cheese, pop tarts, and chicken nuggets.

3. They are a conspiracy theorist.

Pineapples are packed with manganese and vitamin C. At least that’s what produce companies want you to think! This person not only rejects pineapple on pizza, but all fruits and vegetables, believing their health benefits were fabricated by produce companies for profit. They also believe that aliens built the Egyptian pyramids and Mayan temples.

4. They are an environmentalist.

The Environmentalist knows that consumption of anything must remain at a sustainable rate so that the resource in question isn’t depleted, and eventually become extinct. I think everyone remembers the Great Bacon Shortage of 2012, an event that occurred shortly after the “I <3 Bacon” trend. Because “any publicity is good publicity”, pineapple on pizza has gotten more attention, and thus more popular than ever before. The Environmentalist notices this trend, and chooses to abstain from pineapple completely in order to keep pineapple in the sustainable range.

5. They think that pineapple on pizza is too “mainstream.”

Following the same premise that pineapple on pizza has become trendy, this person (sometimes called a hipster) once liked pineapple on pizza, but now that it is popular, they have deemed it “uncool” or “over.

There you have it folks. The explanations for why a person chooses not to eat pineapple on their pizza. While I cannot change the opinion of the haters, I have accepted something I once thought was unacceptable; it is okay that some people don’t like pineapple on pizza. We can continue to coexist peacefully and maybe even remain friends.

Note: If you would like to try this empathy exercise, you must first ask yourself if you are addressing a sound opinion. Challenging a scientific consensus, or defending prejudice or racism does not fall under this category.