It’s fine to not be into opera. Much of it is sung in foreign languages,
using allusions and symbolism that only makes sense to people who have studied
it, and are really interested in it. I
respect opera, but am not interested enough to invest the time and effort into
learning it.
It’s okay to not really be into science. A thorough understanding of science is not
easy. Fully understanding even a narrow
field of scientific knowledge requires years of directed effort and focused
intellect. Much of it is not intuitive,
and sometimes runs counter to common sense.
And because frontiers of science push back against superstition and folk
beliefs, many people ignore or reject science in favor of the comfort and
safety of tradition.
Few people who choose to ignore opera would then get into a
heated argument with an expert on the implications of a plot element or the timing
of an aria in Die Fledermaus or Otello. But
for some reason, people who have never studied science—or applied the
scientific method of inquiry to anything—feel free to expound with some
imagined expertise in opposition to the very fundamentals of modern
science.
People have a right to their opinions; but the right to hold
them does not lend them merit.
One who has never shown expertise or aptitude for opera
would not be a good candidate for leadership of the Met. And likewise, one who is willfully ignorant
of science is not a good candidate for a role in translating scientific
knowledge into governmental policy.
