Posted by: UphillMercury
But, in your OP, you clearly stated that people "mold their opinions to either match or refute the opinions of others." Because opinions, by their nature, will always match or refute the opinion of someone else, and because we, by our nature, are influenced by our environment, previous experiences, reason, and knowledge. But, that can't be the case, because you also say that not everyone is a phony. Herein lies a contradiction. If everyone, yet not everyone, is a phony, then everyone must be a phony.
You're overthinking it. Sure, we're all influenced by each other in some degree, but phonies are those who's only goal while forming opinions is to be popular or liked. If someone looks at the facts objectively, and then forms an opinion, they're not a phony.