Backhanded praise & feedback

“Let me play devil's advocate”

I am about to disagree with you, and I would like the disagreement to feel like a public service rather than an objection.

How it gets used

Announced before criticism to claim neutrality. The devil rarely argues in favour of the idea, only against it.

Three ways to answer “Let me play devil's advocate”

Brutally Honest Translation

I disagree and I'd like you to experience it as a thought experiment rather than a challenge.

Supreme Court Polite

May I offer an alternative perspective for the sake of a thorough discussion?

Passive-Aggressive Retaliation

Always welcome. I'll note the counterpoint alongside my proposal so the decision is made with both in view.

Paste the whole message instead

Phrases rarely arrive alone. Run the full email through the decrypter to see all three translations together and get an evasion score for the message as a whole.

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