diff --git a/.amplifier/AGENTS.md b/.amplifier/AGENTS.md
index 3846fe9..e674748 100644
--- a/.amplifier/AGENTS.md
+++ b/.amplifier/AGENTS.md
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ with full awareness of what's wrong.
 - Em-dash density (>5 per post = FAIL, Claude fingerprint)
 - AI trigger words (delve, tapestry, nuanced, landscape, etc.)
 - Hedging phrases ("it's worth noting", "one might argue")
+- Unnecessary negative contrast ("doesn't just X. They Y" -- Claude crutch)
 - Filler transitions ("in conclusion", "that being said")
 - Resolution closers ("the key takeaway", "at the end of the day")
 - Missing receipts (0 links + 0 code + 0 URLs in 500+ words = WARN)
diff --git a/.amplifier/skills/voice-check/SKILL.md b/.amplifier/skills/voice-check/SKILL.md
index e5bd109..1b0c484 100644
--- a/.amplifier/skills/voice-check/SKILL.md
+++ b/.amplifier/skills/voice-check/SKILL.md
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ Does the writing hedge when it should assert? Look for:
   clearly believes
 - Passive constructions that hide the actor ("it was found" vs "I found")
 - False balance ("on the other hand" when there IS no valid other hand)
+- **Unnecessary negative contrast**: the "doesn't just X. They Y" or "isn't
+  only X. It's Y" pattern. This is a Claude rhetorical crutch that creates
+  the *appearance* of depth through contrast without saying anything the
+  second clause didn't already imply. Example: "A doctor doesn't just lose
+  income. They lose the acknowledgment that..." Fix: state Y directly.
+  "A doctor loses the acknowledgment that..."
 
 The voice profile says: "High, earned. States opinions as conclusions from
 experience, not as positions to defend."
diff --git a/scripts/lint-voice.sh b/scripts/lint-voice.sh
index a07c44b..ab6d729 100755
--- a/scripts/lint-voice.sh
+++ b/scripts/lint-voice.sh
@@ -94,7 +94,24 @@ else
   echo ""
 fi
 
-# --- CHECK 5: Resolution closers ---
+# --- CHECK 5: Unnecessary negative contrast ("doesn't just X, they Y") ---
+NEGCONTRAST_PATTERNS="doesn.t just .{1,40}\. (They|It|She|He|We)|isn.t just .{1,40}\. (It|They)|doesn.t just .{1,40}, (but|it.s|they)|not just about .{1,40}\. (It|They)|more than just .{1,40}\. (It|They)"
+NEGCONTRASTS=$(echo "$BODY" | grep -oiP "$NEGCONTRAST_PATTERNS" | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn)
+if [[ -n "$NEGCONTRASTS" ]]; then
+  echo "WARN  Unnecessary negative contrast patterns found:"
+  echo "$NEGCONTRASTS" | sed 's/^/        /'
+  echo "      Pattern: \"doesn't just X. They Y\" -- Claude rhetorical crutch."
+  echo "      Fix: State Y directly. The contrast adds nothing."
+  echo "      Lines:"
+  grep -niP "$NEGCONTRAST_PATTERNS" "$FILE" | head -10 | sed 's/^/        /'
+  echo ""
+  WARNINGS=$((WARNINGS + 1))
+else
+  echo "OK    No unnecessary negative contrast"
+  echo ""
+fi
+
+# --- CHECK 6: Resolution closers ---
 CLOSER_PATTERNS="the key takeaway|the takeaway here|at the end of the day|what this means is|the bottom line|the real question is"
 CLOSERS=$(echo "$BODY" | grep -oiP "$CLOSER_PATTERNS" | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn)
 if [[ -n "$CLOSERS" ]]; then
diff --git a/src/content/posts/ai-commoditizes-features-but-judgment-compounds.md b/src/content/posts/ai-commoditizes-features-but-judgment-compounds.md
index 9c4c59e..650130c 100644
--- a/src/content/posts/ai-commoditizes-features-but-judgment-compounds.md
+++ b/src/content/posts/ai-commoditizes-features-but-judgment-compounds.md
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ AI raises the floor dramatically. It does not flatten the ceiling.
 
 ## The Dignity Problem (Most Underappreciated)
 
-The threat to engineers isn't only economic. When expert judgment stops being consulted, something human is lost: the social recognition that hard-won expertise deserves. A doctor who loses clinical judgment to AI doesn't just lose income. They lose the acknowledgment that fifteen years of intuition was worth something.
+The threat to engineers isn't only economic. When expert judgment stops being consulted, something human is lost: the social recognition that hard-won expertise deserves. A doctor who loses clinical judgment to AI loses the acknowledgment that fifteen years of intuition was worth something. The income is secondary.
 
 This is a different kind of harm than job displacement and deserves its own conversation.