Throughstone #25: The Dangers of Contrarianism as a Hobby

We’re observing the incubation of another ill-fated megatrend in the crevasses of American sociopolitical discontent. The operating pattern is more disconcerting than its manifestations.

Contrarianism is suffering the fate of so many -isms: its original virtue disappears when the lens becomes confused with critical analysis. Naturally, we need lenses to examine the full dimensionality and the broad-spectrum realities of hairy problems. Lenses. Plural. 

Couch hobbyists (!) leave behind the virtue of a contrarian approach to critical thinking when they a) simply opt for the opposite instead of nuance and b) assume espousing a contrary view is their first and final responsibility. Actually, our collective responsibility is to fully explore the nuances of our hairy challenges and THEN offer fully-tempered solutions. 

Looking at the flip side of the coin is a good initial tactic in critical analysis and solution-generation, but it is only the first step in examining the faces and colors of a multidimensional challenge. Try to solve a Rubik’s Cube simply by flipping it over. That’s the simplistic contrarianism we’re observing in an era of distrust, uncertainty, polarization, and information overload. 

Solutions seldom arise by leaping to opposites. Even “meeting in the middle” fails by maintaining a simple line between two viewpoints, ignoring the multiple dimensions at play. All the variables of a wicked problem don’t operate on the same plane. 

Sure, check out the flipside. Then twist that cube. Master it blindfolded. Solve it underwater in a single breath. Be contrary in your thoughtful solutions, not your simple opinions. 

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“Throughstone 250” is a purposefully constrained blog project. As a long-winded Southerner constrained by Vermont’s limited porch season and the Yankee penchant for paragraphs of three words or less, I’ve opted to aim for semi-regular (i.e., consistent in their irregularity) reflections of precisely 250 words for the foreseeable future.

250 means something right now. Maybe more than we anticipated. It’s symbolic but incredibly important…and a 250 word count seems much less constrained than a 5-7-5 syllable count for a haiku. 

Like many others, I’m struggling to make meaning out of these tumultuous days. I’ve always found it useful to try and write my way out of tough spots. Looking for throughstones is just one more effort to try and generate some meaning from the mayhem.

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