For me it was “The Most Controversial Children’s Book in History” by Solar Sands, in which he analyzes The Giving Tree. It led me to think about my relationship with my parents, and about what kind of relationship I might have with my kids if I ever become a parent.
Evan Eddinger’s video on quitting kratom. “This gas station drug nearly ruined my life.” I had no idea what kratom was even though I had met many users. Less recently, Lindsay Ellis made an amazing video discussing the Palestinian genocide and the problems of refusing to talk about it. “The Unforgivable Sin of Ms Rachel” I think it’s fair to say it was the best video essay I saw in 2025.
Lindsey’s video is so good and so depressing.
I will second the one about Rachel. It does one of the best jobs explaining the whole mess with Israel and the Palestinians. I knew it all already, but it was well done and thorough.