Posting an honest opinion is enough. No one needs to "guide" the discussion. If everyone agrees then that's fine, it'll just be a very short thread.<p>As for why you get downvoted, unless you're very good at communicating a post playing Devil's advocate looks pretty much exactly like a post espousing a contrary opinion for real. In other words, people can't tell you're playing Devil's advocate and they take you seriously.
Sadly people do not appreciate debate anymore, they simply want to read statements that agree with whatever position they believe to be true, fair or what have you.<p>I fear for a society that no longer collaborates and grows but rather shouts into its own comfortable echo chamber.
<i>"Shouldn't dissenting/minority opinions be promoted in the HN feed?"</i><p>Ideally, yes.<p>But HN readers/commenters are human, just like those on other sites. It's a slightly more curated Reddit, with a less meme-y marquee, but the downvote button is abused just the same.<p>It doesn't stop me from playing Devil's Advocate sometimes, though. I welcome the intelligent responses when I get them (and there are plenty of intelligent people here to provide them), and <i>usually</i> when I get downvoted without comment I take comfort in the fact that somebody has had their worldview challenged and is silently having a temper-tantrum somewhere.<p>I certainly don't intend on it to be trolling, however. I think an intelligent, civil debate is its own reward...even if one is outmatched. :D
If you are referring to this comment (<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11971989" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11971989</a>) I wouldn't call that playing Devil's Advocate.
TBH, I think it would have to be a pretty good stance to actually warrant promotion. If everyone who took an oppositional stance to issues was promoted I don't think regular discourse would continue to occurr.