Writing your real opinion in an essay instead of the safe one is risky. It’s also the only version worth reading.

A safe essay is assembled out of positions somebody already expects, which is why it reads like furniture. It is technically correct and contains no person. A real opinion can lose you a mark here and there, and it is also the only version that gives a reader anything to push against. Weigh a possible grade against the difference between writing something and producing nothing.

Write the argument you actually hold, then make it hard to dismiss with evidence and fair treatment of the other side. The safety comes from the reasoning, not from the position being popular.