Opinion writing can also exist as a mere conversation starter. A hot take is a jumping-off point for debate to begin. Writers who think otherwise — that opinion writing should be so thoroughly constructed and architecturally fortified that columns are essentially conversation enders — probably think a little too highly of their own wordsmithing ability to #changetheworld.

It also seems like the handwringing over hot takes stems from a decidedly retrograde and slightly paranoid attitude about where media is today.

The desperate desire to limit the number of opinion makers by setting arbitrary and cartoonishly elitist rules recalls a bygone era, when real estate in newspapers and magazines was scarce and column space awarded to the privileged few.

In 2012, even the usually sanguine New York Times magazine writer Mark Leibovich, once called a “modern-day Balzac,” lamented, “So many people are giving us their ‘take’ on this … We are a nation drowning in ‘takes!’ ”

Why is this bad? The Internet democratized news production and consumption, which is only troubling if you’re a fan of Pravda.