This isn't in response to anything specific, but every now and then I come across an old piece supporting the war in Iraq and I am reminded at how much all those fart-huffers were convinced not just that their cause was just, but that they were somehow incredibly bold and brave, standing against the tide, as they were supporting the stated position of the American government and the editorial line of practically every publication in the country. They had to reach deep to find hippies to argue against - Michael Moore! Some professor somewhere! Janeane Garofalo! Atrios! - because so few were being platformed.
Almost all "contrarianism" is like that, nobly and courageously supporting the status quo and existing power, while presenting yourself as bravely swimming upstream.
