We should invent a term for this, if it doesn't already exist?

"I'm going to get downvoted, but..." - proceeds to get upvoted

"Unpopular opinion: " - is actually a popular opinion

I propose we reach for Dickens to name this form of insincere disclaimer, and call it a "Heepsclaimer": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uriah_Heep

According to Google, you are the first person on the internet to ever use this word.

I like it. I'm going to start using this.

Aristotle's already got you covered with "aporia".

_Ars Rhetorica_, BTW is great read.

Well, it is mostly probably survivorship bias... you don't see the comments that say they are going to get downvoted and actually get downvoted.

If anyone is wondering, these exist. You can see them if you turn showdead on. Been interesting experience using it for a while.

I don’t know how to translate it in English, but in Italian there’s a specific term: Cleuasmo.

It’s a rhetorical device meant to captivate the audience by humility.

To add context, is a type of captatio benevolentia (“obtaining benevolence/captivating”) and as such is typically placed at the start of a discussion.

Someone uses cleuasms (I’m gonna create a word by inferring a translation) many times in a discussion. Pay attention: this unsolicited and reiterated form of humbleness can be too much. If you shouldn’t have right for a statement, apply suspension instead ;)

Weird, I was actually writing a response wondering whether there was a term for this phenomenon and then got distracted by work. I made a post about a week ago that I thought would be fairly unpopular and it ended up being my most upvoted post yet. It's like a super specific form of self doubt.

Decrying modern JavaScript is upvote bait on HN.