"Do you guys believe in the whole 'opposites attract' thing?"
Yes and no.
I think the opposite can be very alluring, intriguing, exciting, etc. Especially in that 'bad guy/good girl' stereotypical way (and reversed, and same gender, etc). But inexperience (and even with experience) can lead to bad judgment calls.
Does the person respect you? Do they pressure you into doing things you are uncomfortable with or that go against your values/beliefs? Are they using you when it comes to money/time/car/etc in some way that becomes unbalanced and isn't repaid? Do they communicate with you? Do they encourage your views even when they know those views conflict with their own? Do they still give you a fair chance or always make the decisions based on their own views/preferences? Those are very important things.
Yeah, I'm with someone very different than me. Darker, aggressive, intense. But sensible, communicative, caring. His job is deadly and he has much anger, but he makes an effort to be 100% upfront with me so that we can tackle things together. He doesn't just assume that he knows better, and I appreciate that immensely. He is very respectful. Plus, we have similarities in our backgrounds (like family, friends) and we have the same core sense of right and wrong. That is very important.
I just think you shouldn't be with someone purely because they are opposite of you. And it can be so incredibly difficult to see that for what it is. Diversity is great, but a lot of differences coupled with not being willing to compromise or accept the person can just cause friction and tension. And that's also complicated - some differences perhaps should just be accepted (as in, I will NOT watch horror movies with him and I will never be specifically religious and I wouldn't want to be forced) but others probably shouldn't (such as feeling women belong in the kitchen yet you hate cooking and don't want to suddenly learn, believing all black people are prone to violence, or believing that cleaning the apartment once a month is sufficient yet working outdoors and having several animals). Having someone assure you they are healthy and then discovering they haven't seen a doctor in ten years is not entirely reassuring, in my opinion, as a random example. That would cause some irritation pretty quickly for me.
I think part of the issue is that you want someone who is different but is compatible with you, or is bad/good but the opposite for you. Someone who will make an effort for you, be different for you, change for you. But sadly that often doesn't happen. Ever seen that quote?
A girl wants a bad boy who's good just for her. A bad boy wants a good girl who's naughty just for him.
May happen some at first, but it's HARD for that to be longlasting (and healthy). People don't change easily, if at all. I have patience because I am with someone who wants to change for the better and is making a clear and conscious effort to do so. So, I fully feel he deserves the same effort from me. We may never be 100% in agreement regarding politics, religion, children, etc, but we agree enough that there is a lot of overlap and we can accept what little isn't shared. You want the other person to have the same sense of right and wrong, to put it one way.