Why I don't provide sources

As a former progressive, now right wing supporter and amateur political pundit, many times I express my opinion and get asked to provide my "source" on the matter.

Unless I am directly quoting something or someone, I don't bother providing my sources for my opinion.

Let me explain why:

Typically, this sort of challenge is not in good faith and is usually someone's challenge to "prove it" to them. I used to provide sources. I recall many a time carefully going through my links, finding the best ones, then providing them for the challenger. More often than not, one of 3 things would happen:

1. They ignore it completely, move on, or pretend they never saw the links.
2. They reject it out of hand, usually claiming that the source is unreliable and does not meet their standards for consideration.
3. They cherry pick a portion of the article, claim it's wrong, and then dismiss the entire argument due to this one factoid they feel is erroneous.

I've interacted with a few exceptions on this site, and for those I will make an attempt to share my info, but more often than not, my suggestion is for people to do their own research.

It's what I do. If I hear something I am skeptical on, I do my own searches, consult my own sources, and make up my own mind as to its legitimacy.

Thanks for reading.