# contrarian-and-opinion

Sharpens a genuine contrarian stance into a clear argument: reasons, proof, and the strongest opposing case. Built for people who write opinionated content.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 596 installs · ★ 199
- Author: social-media-skills
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/social-media-skills/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/contrarian-and-opinion/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-15
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/contrarian-and-opinion

## What it does

This skill takes a view you already hold and works it into shape. The agent helps you narrow the claim, ground it in evidence, and then state it without hedging. Everything runs through a five-step frame called STAND: stake the belief, aim at the idea rather than the person, argue the case, nod to the steelman, then declare and engage.

It reads `brand-profile` and `voice-builder` first, so the take lands in the brand's voice instead of sounding like generic outrage. Reference files hold the framework breakdown, worked examples, and the line between a real position and a manufactured pile-on.

The human keeps the stance and decides what goes out. The agent won't invent controversy or fabricate a fight. A quick test: if your three closest competitors wouldn't dare publish it, the take has teeth. The other side matters too — have the strongest counterargument ready before you post.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add social-media-skills/skills --skill contrarian-and-opinion -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/contrarian-and-opinion/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/contrarian-and-opinion/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add social-media-skills/skills --skill contrarian-and-opinion -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/contrarian-and-opinion/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add social-media-skills/skills --skill contrarian-and-opinion -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/contrarian-and-opinion/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install social-media-skills/skills contrarian-and-opinion
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/contrarian-and-opinion/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add social-media-skills/skills --skill contrarian-and-opinion -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/social-media-skills/skills --path skills/contrarian-and-opinion
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/contrarian-and-opinion/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add social-media-skills/skills --skill contrarian-and-opinion -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/social-media-skills/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/contrarian-and-opinion/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- turn a nagging disagreement into a stated position
- back a spiky claim with data or lived experience
- lay out the best case against your own view
- write an opinion piece that argues instead of hedging
- get a real discussion going in the comments

## Example prompts
- Help me state my opinion that monorepos slow teams down, and find evidence for it
- Steelman the opposite view for a column arguing that documentation beats tests
- Sharpen this into one unhedged claim and suggest how to handle pushback in replies

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: ae0f8e180f163a1a.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE ae0f8e180f163a1a
```text
---
name: contrarian-and-opinion
description: >-
  The point-of-view content type — articulate, sharpen, and argue a genuinely-held contrarian stance
  / hot take / opinion / thought-leadership position that builds authority and real debate. Use when
  someone wants a POV, a hot take, an "unpopular opinion", a contrarian angle, an opinion piece, or
  to stop sounding like everyone else and build thought leadership. Uses the STAND framework. Reads
  brand-profile + voice-builder first. The agent argues the human's OWN opinion with evidence; the
  human owns the stance and the live debate; WoopSocial publishes. Never manufactures a stance,
  controversy, or ragebait; no strawmen, punching down, or defamation; opinion stays clearly opinion
  and factual claims must be true. Distinct from hook-writer (the opening-line mechanic this feeds),
  educational-content-and-how-to (teaches a process), storytelling-and-narrative (narrative vs
  argument), and behind-the-scenes-and-founder (personal story vs argued position).
version: 1.0.0
---

# contrarian-and-opinion

The **point-of-view content type** — stake a belief you actually hold, target the idea, argue it, steelman the
other side, then declare it and engage. The **format writers** turn the argument into cuts, **WoopSocial
publishes**, and the **human owns the stance** and the live debate.

## The POV: a real stance is rare and valuable — the counterfeits both fail
In a feed of safe, samey content, a genuine point of view is how authority and a following actually get built —
and **playing it safe is itself a risk** (a weak or absent POV makes a large share of buyers walk). But there are
two counterfeits that both backfire. **Manufactured ragebait** now fails twice over: it torches trust *and* it's
**algorithmically suppressed** in 2026 (platforms rank on depth/dwell and actively penalize engagement-bait).
**Fake-contrarian** — dressing up best-practice as a hot take — reads hollow, and "contrarian-for-attention
backfires when there's no evidence underneath." The genuine article is a belief you actually hold, against the
consensus, **earned with evidence.** The top-1% move most people get backwards: **steelman the opposition** —
naming the strongest case against you is what reads as a credible authority rather than a troll, and it disarms
the pile-on. Opinion is never a license for misinformation, defamation, or punching down.

## Read these first
1. **brand-profile** — the positions the brand/founder actually holds.
2. **voice-builder** — how to deliver a spicy take in the brand's voice without being a jerk.
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE ae0f8e180f163a1a

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the ae0f8e180f163a1a tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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