Do you know people like this?
I certainly do. Sometimes I fear I am one, although I really don’t do it all that often.
I hope.
[Hat tip: Maetenloch at Ace's.]
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Previously a lifelong Democrat, born in New York and living in New England, surrounded by liberals on all sides, I've found myself slowly but surely 
July 12th, 2012 at 2:04 pm
I had the same reaction when I read the article…”Is it me?” I actually sent a link in an email and asked a friend if I do that. lol He said no, but I know I do sometimes.
July 12th, 2012 at 2:13 pm
Tom: I think people who are interested in precision are tempted to do it quite a bit.
July 12th, 2012 at 3:51 pm
“Sometimes I fear I am one, although I really don’t do it all that often.”
You have set a trap, as a sly test: if we say “No! You are not one!”, then we show ourselves as oppositional conversationalists.
July 12th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
A very amusing anecdote from Professor Mark Montgomery in The Chronicle Review:
“One very opinionated member of my department told me straight out that when she sees me wearing an iPod in public she feels embarrassed on my behalf. Naturally I bristled at this. Disparaging the appearance of a fellow faculty member, I informed her pointedly, is at best uncollegial and at worst an assault on academic freedom. She said that the collegiality argument, which she respected in principle, was mitigated by the fact that she and I have been married for 32 years. (I am still working on a snappy comeback.)”
Contrary conversationalists: mostly among spouses, who should know better that they know better, even if they don’t.
July 12th, 2012 at 5:22 pm
I worked with a woman ike that once. She was horrible, and when we had to work in teams, our supervisor rotated the rest of us so no one had to put up with her for too long.
July 12th, 2012 at 11:43 pm
If you can’t tell which way the wind blows you need a weatherman and if you need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows you are in deep do-do.
Sometimes it takes a train: http://tinyurl.com/7d2fkhn
July 13th, 2012 at 12:48 am
What the heck you talking about Neo?
My girlfriend is this way. Used to drive me nuts.
Now I just tel her I love her and she says I love you more
July 13th, 2012 at 6:47 am
People who do it reflexively, IMO, are sort of smart as* types. They think they know it all but don’t think any more to know they sound idiotic sometimes.
I’m happily contrarian (in my first political argument… at age 10 with an adult teacher… I argued against my personal opinion because the teacher, in my view, was over the top in pushing the side I identified with… to kids.. which made it worse imo even then….)… but it was a thought out position to take … but just attacking everything without thinking is a sign of being stupid…
July 13th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Some want debate, I think, but others just sort of have what one of my pastors once called a “noisy spirit.” They just like to be combative and let everyone know how unhappy they are. But it really depends as there’s a wide spectrum of reasons people would do this.
Actually, there isn’t and the above is totally incorrect.
July 13th, 2012 at 4:08 pm
No, Neo, you don’t know anyone like this. And the very notion of contrary conversationalists is ridiculous!