That’s exactly it. People should be able to recognize a statement presented as fact (even if it’s incorrect) vs a statement of opinion (whether or not you agree with it).
Sometimes facts aren’t true - people don’t look at all the data, or look at the wrong data, or make an error. But “The U.S. Civil War ended in 1856.” is still presented as a fact, not an opinion, even if it’s wrong incorrect. Likewise “It is incorrect wrong for people to _.” is clearly an opinion, regardless of whether you agree with it.
Yet those words ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ have been conflated with ‘true’ and ‘false’, ‘correct’ and ‘incorrect’. I think older people grew up in a much more polarized black and white time (WWII then the Cold War), when a factual statement that was incorrect was wrong - no different than a wrong opinion, and a right opinion was considered as if it were a true fact. They were trained to think along one simple right and wrong axis, and it worked for them in their circumstance.
Younger people, especially post Cold War, have grown up in a much less polarized time, with many more shades of grey, subtleties, and more available information. That way of thinking just doesn’t work as well when nothing is entirely black or white, right or wrong.
Found it kind of surprising too, but then realized that unfortunately 50% of the people are below average.
