"I think" can usually be inferred from context and isn't needed, but bad or adversarial (hard to tell the difference) reading & online forums have encouraged ev

"I think" can usually be inferred from context and isn't needed, but bad or adversarial (hard to tell the difference) reading & online forums have encouraged everyone to write worse, in order to defend against flames from poor readers and assholes. You have to try to cover every stupid way your words could be read if you don't want other posters to pounce on you, like by throwing "I think" in front of things that are obviously opinion or otherwise not being advanced as absolute, indisputable truth. [EDIT] Point is, yes, making that assumption is a normal part of ordinary communication outside the "well akshually" Web.