Jamie Nye: Why context is always important before forming an opinion

Kirk Cousins’ quote “If I die, I die,” is another indication of how important it is to find the context before giving an opinion.

I’ll be honest, when I saw the tweet that highlighted Cousins’ thoughts on COVID-19, my eyes rolled and I was curious why the Minnesota Vikings quarterback would be so dismissive when an outbreak could end the NFL season.

But I wanted to know the question he was asked and Cousins’ full answer.

Wouldn’t you know, Cousins was open about how he doesn’t personally fear the virus. But he also spoke about wearing a mask out of respect for others that do fear the virus.

With that context, my opinion was 180 degrees from what I thought after just reading “If I die, I die.”

That is the same work we all need to do at a time when many get their news from Facebook or Twitter. You can’t just read the meme or the tweet and think it’s gospel.

Be curious, be mindful and ask questions. It may be the difference between thinking Kirk Cousins is an insensitive jerk and thinking he’s going to be Donald Trump’s next COVID adviser.