Commentators or thinkers who are contrarian when required to be so

March 19, 2016 7:23 PM

Who are some people you guys read who think about the issues in an intelligent way and are unafraid to make a contrarian argument when it makes sense to do so?

As I trawl the Internet looking for intelligent discussion, I see that most columnists and commentators have the same opinions, just slightly different ways of saying them. I want to read stuff by people who think meaningfully about whatever subject they discuss and then present what they feel is the best viewpoint.

I'm not looking for out and out provocateurs. Not a great example, but someone like Ann Coulter comes to mind.

posted by reenum to Grab Bag (10 answers total)

I don't think the blog has been active for a while, but I enjoyed The Last Psychiatrist (who also used to be on metafilter).
posted by gemutlichkeit at 7:54 PM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

Christopher hitchens. Gone now, but he wrote alot about what is still very topical.
posted by bernardbeta at 8:17 PM on March 19, 2016 [4 favorites]

I like Rod Dreher a lot. He's got an unusual perspective, which often puts him at odds with nearly the entire political spectrum, but he usually comes across as friendly.

I've always liked Ta-Nehisi Coates for that reason as well.
posted by kevinbelt at 8:21 PM on March 19, 2016 [3 favorites]

Camille Paglia can be infuriating because one can read a piece and think it's brilliant insight, then the next piece has one questioning everything they thought they knew about her. Either way, she's been opening eyes for decades.
posted by Homer42 at 12:51 AM on March 20, 2016

Maybe check out Znet (various mostly leftist political commentators, including Chomsky).
posted by bleston hamilton station at 2:43 AM on March 20, 2016

I guess the question is, contrarian relative to what?

The further you go outside the mainstream media, the more "contrarian" opinions you are going to get -- i.e. opinions that have little resemblance to conventional wisdom. However, these people would probably not label themselves contrarian, but something else -- principled, or [insert ideology here], perhaps?

I read a lot of left-ish literature and that is certainly "contrarian", perhaps in the sense you are looking for. A few suggestions, in order of least to most "contrarian":

Glenn Greenwald
Jacobin
Weekly Worker
Workers Vanguard
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 4:21 AM on March 20, 2016

Would I be right to guess that you mean contrarian relative to the bubble they're in? So, for example, a primarily progressive writer who's pro-life, or a primarily conservative writer who's pro-welfare? So long as they've come to those contrarian conclusions for good, thoughtful reasons?

I.e., someone who doesn't simply accept the package of opinions that come along with being progressive, or being conservative, or being Marxist, or being a hippie, or being a libertarian, or whatever?
posted by clawsoon at 11:01 AM on March 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

I like Conor Friedersdorf; he often tackles issues with a respect for both sides' underlying concerns.
posted by xris at 3:31 PM on March 20, 2016

Response by poster: clawsoon, you are right on the money.
posted by reenum at 8:36 AM on March 21, 2016

The guy in this FPP seems to have a nuanced, thought-through take on gun culture and gun control. His blog is here.
posted by clawsoon at 11:21 AM on April 30, 2016