In the process of fighting ignorance, we dopers never pass up an opportunity to give each other advice. And sometimes we take that advice and act on it. And sometimes that leads to disappointment. Not that it’s necessarily “bad” advice, just that the results are not what we expected.
A recent example is the thread about toilet paper. A lot of the posters recommended Cosco’s “Kirkland” brand, so I decided to give it a try. The only size they sell is a humongous 36-roll package. I got it home and tried it. I hate it. It doesn’t feel like 2-ply; it’s thin, not soft enough and not absorbent enough, reminding me of tissue paper . . . so I wind up using twice as much as before . . . which is a good thing, since I have 36 rolls to use up. Then I can return to Charmin red.
(I know that Costco has a very liberal return policy, but I’m reluctant to return something like toilet paper.)
This isn’t about bad advice, but could you donate the other 35 rolls? I’m sure there is a homeless shelter or something that could use it. Since some people liked it enough to recommend it, it wouldn’t be like you are pawning off something worthless to the poor.
It occurred to me a couple of years ago that we have lots of relationship advice threads here (I’m a usual culprit in participating in them), but we also have A LOT of dopers who are on their second, third, fourth marriage, and others that when they do post about their relationships, it makes me do this --> :dubious:
I’m all for advice threads and such (if you want to take your life advice from the internet, go right ahead), but we have to remember who’s giving that advice - mostly people from a country with a 50% divorce rate.
You could look at it the other way. Divorced dopers know what it takes to make a marriage fail. They know the pitfalls and since hindsight is 20/20 they have thoughts (and make suggestions) on what they would of or should have done differently.
Not advice really, but the good doctor Qadgop was going on about the joys of vegemite and marmite a few years back, so I thought I’d give one of them a try. Salty, yeasty - it didn’t sound that bad.
Well, I didn’t gag or anything. But my reaction was a fairly measured :dubious:. The jar sat in my cupboard untouched for a year or so after that first tasting, before finally being tossed. Not for me, I think.
Oh yeah, there’s that, too - very inexperienced people offering relationship advice. I should say that I don’t think anyone should stop giving advice; I just think that people need to remember the source of the advice they’re getting online.
Or the ones without children whose only possible contribution to a parenting thread is “When I was a kid I never…” or discussions about how much they dislike having children even exist in a public way.
Some people learn a lot about themselves and relationships through divorce. Some people never learn. There are people on here with happy, long-term relationships I would never trust for relationship advice.
I can’t remember getting much in the way of bad advice here, but I don’t really ask for advice often.
I like the Costco TP. I have ancient plumbing and my kids end up using way too much of the Charmin, which is so thick as to substitute for bath towels. It’s true that the Costco stuff isn’t as soft as Charmin, but it’s softer and more absorbent than the cheapo stuff at the grocery store. I consider it the B brand, less plush than the A brand but better than the C brand (duh). Whatever happened to White Cloud, anyway?
I think there is always a danger in asking for advice on a polarizing subject or about a product that attracts fanboys/fangirls. Go ahead and ask on the board whether you should get your cat declawed, get an abortion, or even whether you should buy a friggin’ Apple product and watch what happens. No matter what caveats you put into your OP about what is important in your decision making process, some people will ignore it when they are passionate about the subject and do their best to sway you to their side rather than give you the best advice for your situation.
And, occasionally, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
Doper 1: Hey, I need help! Blah blah blah. What should I do? Need answer fast!
Doper 2: Well, what about [well-thought-out answer]?
Doper 1: No, that won’t work.
Doper 3: I’ve been in the same situation. Why don’t you try [well-thought-out answer]?
Doper 1: No, that’s stupid.
Doper 4: I’ve worked for years in blah blah. How about [well-thought-out answer]?
Doper 1: No, that won’t work.
Doper 5: I’ve had some experience in that. I highly recommend [well-thought-out answer].
Doper 1: No, that’s stupid.
Doper 6: I’ve done [well-thought-out answer] before, and have no complaints.
Doper 1: No, that won’t work.
I call that the “every Recommend A Book thread ends at Terry Pratchett” rule. For tv recommendations, it ends at Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I once asked for microwave popcorn recommendations, and went through quite a few unremarkable brands that’d been recommended, before finding a palatable one. It’s kinda hard to get good advice on things as objective as taste preferences, really.
I didn’t like* Let the Right One In *either, but that’s an odd choice to single out since most people I know who have seen it have liked it and it’'s also 98% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
