Contrariness for its own sake

[Ghel]

I can't stand it when people enter a conversation and state an opinion that's polar opposite of those in the conversation, apparently for the sole purpose of getting people riled up.

Some people just seem to want to "play devil's advocate" and be contrary. These people usually make statements or claims without backing them up. If asked, they refuse to support their statements or explain themselves. It makes civilized discussion difficult, and honest debate impossible.

[DesignFox]

If I'm not mistaken, I've noticed a few bannings from this board...Probably because it had something to do with that...although, I can only guess.

I hate when people do that crap, too. I try to ignore them, but I'm only human...

[Wingates_Hellsing]

While important to at least try and get one's head around other opinions, it's not an excuse to debate poorly...

[Ghel]

Exactly. It's not a problem if they genuinely hold a differing opinion. What bothers me is when a person ALWAYS holds the exact opposite position from the majority of people in the conversation. And when asked why, they won't give a reason.

[Hobbs]

I do that, but only because it's a boring conversation if the conversation is a bunch of "I agree..." etc.

[Boozy]

I do that, but only because it's a boring conversation if the conversation is a bunch of "I agree..." etc.

Yes, Hobbs, but there's a difference between playing devil's advocate and purposely trying to get people riled up. You don't debate with the intention of upsetting anyone, you just like to point out the other side of things.

I also find it annoying when someone makes a very controversial statement and then walks away from a debate without offering anything to back it up.

[elsporko]

If it wasn't for the policy of contrariness among Israeli officials then they would have never been prepared for World War Z

[Hobbs]

Reminds me of my environmental science class. We were debating tuna fishing practices (almost the entire class was against, while my table decided we'd be pro) and some of the debaters were getting really annoying. My friend had them stop in their tracks when he replied, "Yeah? Well if dolphins are so smart, why do they always get caught in the fishing nets?" Those of us who got the reference lol'ed while the others had shocked expressions.

[Amanita]

I used to know a girl like this in high school- you couldn't ever vent about anything in her presence, she would always be contrary and try to argue, playing devil's advocate. I hate people like this, I really do.

I also notice this in reference to pop culture- some people seem to hate "insert big movie/book/show/music here" for seemingly no other reason than the fact that it's popular. They want to show how hip/contrarian/anti-establishment they are, so they define themselves by how against everything they are. it gets old after awhile, and comes across as trite and pretentious.

[DrFaroohk]

Reminds me of a guy I worked with at this auto parts store. He would ALWAYS go contrary, even if you agreed with him.

"Man it's a shitty day."

"Yeah, it really sucks out."

"NO IT DOESN'T!"

[the_std]

When it comes to people who like disagreeing simply to disagree, not to add to a debate, the best tool you have is to just plain ignore them. The reason they disagree is because people get angry when someone is being blatantly callous or contrary, and that just fuels them on. This applies to the people in your life you can't vent around, or people on forums that are just pushing buttons.

I highly recommend it.

[Ghel]

The difficulty in ignoring people like this is that it takes a while to discover whether they're the type who genuinely holds the view (and will back it up) or the type who's just there to upset people. I have no problem debating the former. It can be fun. But by the time you've figured out that they're the latter, sometimes it's too late to ignore them. Of course, you can still ignore them in new conversations/threads.

[Arcade Man D]

If it wasn't for the policy of contrariness among Israeli officials then they would have never been prepared for World War Z

While I loved that book, that was not a case of contrariness, but a case of Devil's advocate. The differences summed up.

Devil's Advocate: "I disagree, here's why."
Contrary: "No it isn't! Nuh uh!"

[blas87]

I have a coworker, Mo, who will argue with you over just about anything. It's very hard to talk with her because she will just argue with everything you say, even silly things like gas prices.

Then there's the assholes online and on forums who will just disagree or have a different opinion JUST to rile others up. The worst are the ones who "know everything" and have to add that into the equation as well.