No, I guess I should have said "This is becoming the norm for me, for nearly everybody that I know, and for nearly everybody that they talk about.".
You say this based on what? Do you have links to studies or reports on jobs, travel, time on the road?
This is something that really irks me about online discussions; we're not having a formal debate here, not passing policies, we're having an informal conversation about jobs.
I gave an opinion and stated it as such...yet my opinion isn't valid because I don't have research data to back it up?
A simple google search shows that my opinion is valid...Americans are working more hours per capita than they ever have before and this is a trend that is alarming (or at least interesting) to some people (like me).
Here is one such article: http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108924985484258191,00.htm...
Sure. But if someone makes an interesting claim, especially one that contradicts their own experience, knowledge, or intuition, they'll likely want to know if you know something they don't. So, people like me ask for more information, specifically concrete data. If I find out it's just a gut feeling, or a guess, or whatever, that's fine by me. But I just want to know.
"I gave an opinion and stated it as such...yet my opinion isn't valid because I don't have research data to back it up?"
Maybe.
Not all opinions are valid. Sure, you're entitled to believe what you want, but if you make it public then expect others to ask questions, and absent any evidence or a good argument, to scoff.
"Sure, you're entitled to believe what you want, but if you make it public then expect others to ask questions, and absent any evidence or a good argument, to scoff."
The "make it public" is key. Sure we are not having a debate, but then no one is asking for results from double blind randomized trials either.
For me to say something (and expect people to accept the truth of what you say - I could be honestly mistaken for example), asking for data is a good thing. It forces me to reflect on why I say what I say and if the "why" is weak, then maybe I need to rethink.
".yet my opinion isn't valid because I don't have research data to back it up?"
Your opinion is valid as an opinion. it isn't valid enough to be accepted by other people without data/logic/whatever backing it up.
It might help if any such request, even if abrasively phrased, could be reinterpreted as"What makes you think so?".
That's basically why I've gotten into the habit of asking for backing material when I read what strikes me as flat assertions with no supportive argument.
It's not to turn every casual discussion into an interrogation, but because it helps (as best I've been able to tell) keep the overall quality higher by a) getting people to pause a bit before tossing off casual, overly broad, and often ill-reasoned, comments (e.g. "Perl 6 will never be released"), and b) often gets people to provide links and data.
In the best scenarios, that means some of us learn something new.