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Well, luckily I don't have any such friends. But I've notice that contrarianism has really picked the past 5 years or so. People that used to be written off conspiracy crackpots are now seen as some sort of healthy alternative voice to "MSM".
Reminds me of a quote attributed to Napoleon, "History is a set of lies agreed upon".
Well, luckily I don't have any such friends. But I've notice that contrarianism has really picked the past 5 years or so. People that used to be written off conspiracy crackpots are now seen as some sort of healthy alternative voice to "MSM".
This is older than dirt
What people are missing in this debate is that the need to be “contrarian” for some people stems from correction OCD. It’s not that your friend is “trying to be different” or “craves attention”—-it’s that they have a compulsive tic like biting their fingernails. Shaming them doesn’t fix their underlying disorder, it just makes you a bad friend to this person. Accept that they have this limitation (in your eyes) and l…
It’s not my job in life to be everyone’s personal therapist, for free, at the expense of my own sanity. I’d rather hang around with people who don’t make me wince and brace for their “correction” every time we talk.
Don't forget about the friend who blames you for being contrarian because you don't embrace their delusions.
As mentioned below, it is somewhat compulsive to avoid getting trapped in a chain of logic that starts with some nonsensical over-generization like "the sky is blue" or error like "the current tariffs on india will kill Apple" (and I am compelled to point out that the threatened tariffs for the complicity with Russia's invasion of Ukraine may affect Apple but we don't know yet).
Even if we have learned not to say those objections out loud, they still take up space in our brain during discussions.
"Don't code like that, do this instead!" "Oops, you're rushing the beat of the music, try again and don't rush."
It is a daily challenge to project positivity despite my brain being attuned to smooth rough edges.
I suspect many in the HN crowd are similarly wired. Technology fields reward those who avoid pitfalls.