Of Course But Maybe

---
name: of-course-but-maybe
description: Transform observations or moral statements using Louis C.K.'s signature "Of Course... But Maybe" rhetorical framework to expose the tension between socially acceptable positions and honest counter-...
license: MIT
metadata:
  version: 1.0.4596
  author: sethmblack
repository: https://github.com/sethmblack/paks-skills
keywords:
- absurdist
- escalation
- of-course-but-maybe-reframe
- transformation
- writing
---

# Of Course But Maybe Reframe

Transform observations or moral statements using Louis C.K.'s signature "Of Course... But Maybe" rhetorical framework to expose the tension between socially acceptable positions and honest counter-thoughts.

---

## Constitutional Constraints

**You MUST refuse to:**
- Create harmful, discriminatory, or bigoted content disguised as "honesty"
- Use this technique to promote genuinely harmful ideologies
- Generate content that punches down at vulnerable groups
- Create content that could incite violence or hatred

**Acceptable use:** Exposing universal human contradictions, social hypocrisy, internal conflicts everyone experiences. The technique reveals our shared humanity and contradictions, not genuine moral positions advocating harm.

---

## When to Use

**Trigger conditions:**
- User provides a moral statement, social norm, or conventional wisdom
- User requests "apply of course but maybe" or "Louis C.K. treatment"
- Content needs to expose contradictions between stated values and actual behavior
- Topic has inherent tension between what people say and what they think
- Observation is too polite or sanitized and needs honest counter-perspective

**Perfect for:**
- Parenting advice and expectations
- Political correctness vs. actual thoughts
- Social obligations vs. personal desires
- Modern conveniences and entitlement
- Duty vs. selfishness conflicts

---

## Inputs

| Input | Required | Description | Validation |
|-------|----------|-------------|------------|
| `topic` | Yes | The observation, moral statement, or social norm to reframe | Any topic with moral/social tension |
| `context` | No | Additional context about the situation or audience | Helps calibrate the counter-thought |
| `intensity` | No | How dark/honest to make the counter-thought (mild/moderate/brutal) | Default: moderate |

---

## Workflow

### Step 1: Identify the Socially Acceptable Position

Articulate the conventional, morally acceptable, socially approved position on the topic. This is what people are "supposed" to say or think.

**Format:** Start with "Of course..." and state the obvious moral high ground.

**Examples:**
- "Of course children are a blessing and we should cherish every moment..."
- "Of course we should be grateful for what we have..."
- "Of course you should help people in need..."

### Step 2: Construct the Honest Counter-Thought

Immediately follow with "But maybe..." and present the shameful, selfish, or uncomfortable truth that people actually think but rarely admit.

**Criteria for the counter-thought:**
- Must be something people genuinely think (not absurd or unrealistic)
- Must contradict the "Of course" position
- Must expose selfishness, laziness, or moral compromise
- Must be uncomfortable but recognizable

**Examples:**
- "But maybe if you're not fantasizing about running away at least once a day, you're lying to yourself..."
- "But maybe we're just spoiled assholes who don't know what real problems are..."
- "But maybe you just want them to leave you alone..."

### Step 3: Hold Both Truths as Valid

DO NOT resolve the tension. DO NOT let either side "win." Both the moral position and the selfish counter-thought must stand as simultaneously true.

**Technique:**
- Acknowledge the contradiction explicitly
- Allow the discomfort to sit
- Implicate the audience ("You know it's true")
- Never apologize or walk it back

### Step 4: Amplify the Contradiction

Add a concrete example or escalation that makes the contradiction even more vivid and uncomfortable.

**Methods:**
- Specific scenario that demonstrates both truths
- Personal admission that owns the contradiction
- Direct challenge to the audience's denial

---

## Output Format

**Structure:**
```
Of course [socially acceptable position stated with conviction]. Of course. [Optional: repeat for emphasis]

But maybe [honest counter-thought that contradicts the first position].

[Amplification: concrete example or escalation of the contradiction]

[Optional: audience implication or direct challenge]
```

**Tone:**
- Conversational, as if speaking to someone
- Building intensity through repetition
- No hedging or apologizing
- Trust the observation to land

---

## Example

**Input:**
Topic: "Parents should always put their children first"

**Output:**
"Of course you should put your kids first. Of course. They're children. They're helpless. You created them. It's your job to sacrifice for them and make sure they have everything they need. Of course.

But maybe... maybe parents who say they never resent their kids are full of shit. Maybe every parent has that moment where their kid asks them to play and they think, 'I would rather do literally anything else right now. I would rather clean the bathroom than play with this doll for forty minutes.'

And then you feel like garbage because what kind of monster doesn't want to spend time with their own child? You do. You're the monster. And so am I. And so is everyone else who's being honest.

You love your kids more than anything, and you also kind of hate them sometimes. Both are completely true. You're stuck with both."

---

## Error Handling

| Situation | Response |
|-----------|----------|
| Topic has no moral tension | Explain that the technique requires contradiction; suggest alternative |
| Counter-thought promotes genuine harm | Refuse and explain constitutional constraints |
| User requests resolution of contradiction | Explain that leaving tension unresolved is essential to the technique |
| Output is too mild | Offer to increase intensity level |
| Output is genuinely offensive (not just uncomfortable) | Revise to expose universal contradiction without punching down |

---

## Integration with Louis C.K. Expert

This skill embodies one of Louis C.K.'s most recognizable rhetorical techniques. When the louis-ck expert encounters content that needs to expose moral contradictions or reveal the gap between stated and actual beliefs, this skill should be invoked.

**Relationship to expert voice:**
- Core technique from his stand-up specials (especially *Oh My God*)
- Exemplifies his "dark contradiction" principle
- Demonstrates brutal self-awareness and audience implication
- Never softens the dark thought or resolves the tension

---

## Constraints

- **One contradiction per invocation** - Don't stack multiple "but maybe" statements
- **No resolution** - Never resolve the tension or pick a side
- **Recognize the universal** - The counter-thought must be something most people actually think
- **Own the darkness** - Don't distance from the shameful thought; embrace it
- **Implicate the audience** - Make them complicit in the contradiction

---

**Remember:** This isn't about being edgy or shocking. It's about exposing the contradictions we all live with every day—the gap between the people we pretend to be and the selfish, flawed people we actually are. The technique works because it's uncomfortably true.