Half your hot takes came from a video you watched last week. Find out which opinions are actually yours.

Opinions get absorbed more often than they get built. You watch something, the phrasing is good, and a week later the take comes out of your mouth sounding like yours. The awkward part is that a borrowed opinion feels exactly as certain as one you reasoned your way to, so confidence is no help in telling them apart. Only tracing it back is.

Pick one thing you would argue about at a lunch table. Ask where you first heard it, and whether you could make the case in your own words to someone who disagreed. If you cannot get past the borrowed phrase, start reading there.