Is there a word for someone who is usually in the minority?

Question

My original question was "Is there a legitimate word for 'a balancer'?" but I think it's a little hard to understand...

Let's just say there is a person, and most of the time, he is in the minority. It can be very simple, such as: he simply hates a song everybody likes (and vice versa), or he has a very long list of 'underrated movies'. I guess he has a different (if not eccentric) taste comparing to most people..

On the other hand, he often does things that most people would refuse to do, too (whether he wants to or not). For example, most people wouldn't buy damaged goods, but he would. You can say he is sacrificing himself. To his mind, "If everybody wants perfection than who will care for the damaged?" or "There are certain people who would only accept the best, so there must be people who accept the worse, coexisting with the former."

This person does things that most people would never do, he stays in the minority so other people can be in the majority => some sort of "balancer"? You know, since he balances everything.. So, is there a word for people like him?

I know this is a long shot but please help me if you can, thank you!

The Russian words Menshevik (from minority) and Bolshevik (from majority) originally meant something similar - but they're not English and are never used in this way now :) — , May 25 '14 at 14:43
possible duplicate of What do you call a person who does/thinks the opposite of the crowd for just that reason? (Within which contrarian is the runaway top answer, but in many contexts eclectic would also be relevant.) — FumbleFingers, May 25 '14 at 14:45
@FumbleFingers yeah I've just taken a look at it but mine's a little bit different... a contrarian may have no purpose of being contrary, but my 'balancer' is different because he felt that someone has to be.. so he considers the balancing job to be obligatory ' ^ ' — Henley, May 25 '14 at 15:02
If it "just so happens" that your subject often doesn't adopt the majority position (as opposed to deliberately doing so), most likely he is eclectic. Or perhaps you're interested in the concept of "devil's advocate" (who adopts the non-standard position in order to allow an issue to be debated). Or maybe you're thinking of the (esp. British) habit of rooting for the underdog - which we do in sporting events, etc., because we want to see an evenly-matched game that goes right to the wire in the tense final minutes. — FumbleFingers, May 25 '14 at 15:11
@FumbleFingers wow, a devil's advocate could be the one, thank you! :) Though it's most likely to be used in debates/arguments, rather than my mentioned scenario, I don't think there's a better choice, so thanks again! — Henley, May 25 '14 at 16:42
@Henley: Don't forget expressions like "champion of the underdog", if you want to cast your referent character in a more positive light. — FumbleFingers, May 25 '14 at 16:45
@FumbleFingers I will, thank you :) and do you mind re-posting the devil's advocate as an Answer so that I can mark it Accepted? — Henley, May 25 '14 at 16:48
@Henley: I don't think that would be "righteous", since I've already closevoted this question in favour of the earlier one. And although *contrarian* is the top answer there, I did actually post *devil's advocate* as a possible alternative myself. — FumbleFingers, May 25 '14 at 16:54
@FumbleFingers in this question of mine specifically, devil's advocate is closer to what I'm aiming at than contrarian. But fair enough :) — Henley, May 25 '14 at 17:03
Can it be anti-populism? It is not only used in politics, it can be a philosophy also. — ermanen, May 25 '14 at 18:20
Also see What's the word for someone who always likes being different? and Is there a word to describe someone who tends to disagree with others only to upset them?, — James Waldby - jwpat7, May 25 '14 at 23:21

Ted Broda · Answer 1 · 2014-05-25T15:13:43.090

15

This person could be called a contrarian.

A contrarian, according to Merriam-Webster, is "a person who takes a contrary position or attitude". The term non-conformist could also apply. For someone in politics who opposes the majority, the word oppositionist is used. One adjective that could be used for consistently opposing a majority is anti-establishment.

edited May 25 '14 at 15:13

answered May 25 '14 at 15:06

Ted Broda

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Not at all. Someone who is always in the majority can be just as much a contrarian. And someone who is always in the minority need not always take a contrary position -- s?he need always take a contrary position only wrt the majority. – Drew May 25 '14 at 15:11
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@Drew Au contraire, a contrarian always disagrees with the established position. I should have used the OED definition: "A person who opposes or rejects popular opinion [emphasis mine]". (It's slightly ironic that I am using an established source to define contrarian.) – Ted Broda May 25 '14 at 15:21
I disagree. Shop around different dictionaries. A contrarian is someone who tends to take an opposing position. That's all. Someone can do that wrt any particular set of people (including wrt a majority on the issue in question, and including wrt each person and each position). – Drew May 25 '14 at 16:00
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@Drew Touché... – Ted Broda May 25 '14 at 17:03

score 6 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

6

I would call such person a maverick.

maverick: a person who refuses to follow the customs or rules of a group

maverick: an unorthodox or independent-minded person

Alternately, consider oddball.

oddball: an eccentric or unconventional person

edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

Community

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answered May 25 '14 at 15:37

Elian

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score 5 · Answer 3 · 2014-05-25T19:07:55.797

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If I understand correctly your definition of the "balancer", as you call him, I think you may be referring to what is usually called the defender of lost causes, meaning someone who for some reason is always on the part of people, things and situations which are the least accepted or preferred by the majority.

edited May 25 '14 at 19:07

answered May 25 '14 at 18:03

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered May 25 '14 at 19:05

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The 'balancer' is engaged in what I would call a quixotic (or Canute-like) enterprise.

answered May 25 '14 at 19:05

Erik Kowal

26,806

score 2 · Answer 5 · answered May 25 '14 at 21:14

An outlier, perhaps.

noun someone who stands apart from others of his or her group, as by differing actions, beliefs, religious practices, etc.: an outlier among Muslims; an outlier among conservatives. Synonyms: outsider, nonconformist, maverick; original, eccentric, bohemian; dissident, dissenter, iconoclast, heretic.

Is there a word for someone who is usually in the minority?

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