Some people believe good ideas emerge fully-formed and without flaw, however, that is almost never the case1. Good ideas need to be developed over time. Pressure-testing, playing “devil’s advocate”, and probing for flaws are essential not only in refining an idea, but also in improving how one conveys an idea (which can be just as important as the idea itself). Iron sharpens iron.
However, taking an antagonist stance is unnatural and unpleasant for a great many people. Enter the Contrarian.
The Contrarian is inherently skeptical of common sense, the wisdom of crowds, and popular opinion. The Contrarian naturally seeks novel perspectives to analyze an idea from. The Contrarian likely views this tendency as part of their identity and the value they bring to the world.
Unfortunately, despite the value Contrarians provide, Contrarians are often subject to repression and experience pronounced personal suffering. There is significant social stigma against saying something unpopular. Disagreement is generally an unpleasant feeling and we naturally gravitate towards those who we agree with, which typically results in Contrarians being unpopular or even ostracized. In many cases the best course of action for a Contrarian is to keep their mouth shut, however, this is not a painless solution for it often results in negative feelings of self-repression and loneliness.
Luckily for society, many Contrarians are so genetically hardwired and/or idealistic that they will continue to challenge the norm despite the resulting personal hardship. Eventually, however, this negativity leads to either bitterness or an identity crisis that precipitates a potentially destabilizing change in personality. This is extremely dangerous for society as well as these individuals for one cannot often tell when a helpful Contrarian has become a harmful cynic.
So how do we healthy integrate Contrarians into society and allow them to experience sustainable well-being? That alone is probably worth a separate post, but I do have a few thoughts:
- At Work
- Permanent, anonymous forums and feedback forms to voice unpopular opinions without fear of reprisal
- Placeholders in meeting agendas for challenging questions such as “what could go wrong?” or “why this may not work?”
- Explicit company values that encourage debate
- Seminars that teach people the value of dissent and how to voice it in a constructive manner
- A focus on negative customer reviews (in addition to highlighting “5 star reviews” and success metrics)
- Self
- Before speaking your dissent, ground yourself and others in the fact that you share the same ultimate goal
- Don’t hold on too tightly to your ideas. They are a means to an end, not the end itself
- Remember that your self worth is more than producing contrarian ideas, you are also kind, funny, playful, supportive, and many other noble qualities
- Remember that the most popular idea still can be the best idea
- Remember that being a contrarian doesn’t mean finding the most negative interpretation, you can also differentiate yourself by finding an even more positive interpretation
- Be grateful that most people don’t agree with you, that is what makes your perspective so valuable
- Society
- Legislate debate as a mandatory course in high school and college. Everyone should have the experience of defending an idea they disagree with
- Disincentivize short-from political content (this may not be feasible)
- Reincentivize personal blogs (check out “Who Owns the Future” by Jaron Lanier )
- Broaden funding for independent research and art (a la Guggenheim Fellowships or Universal Basic Income)
- Broaden school libraries so students can access any book for free