# Don't Just Say "You're Wrong." Tell What's \*RIGHT\* **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 1, 2016, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208 "2016-06-01T04:15:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/1 "2016-06-01T04:15:38Z")
I don’t want to link, just to allude… In any number of threads here, people have said, “No, that isn’t right,” but they don’t always take the next step, of saying what is actually right. Half the job is better than none, I guess, but… If someone mucks up, if we pull a boner, don’t say, “That isn’t what the word means” or “No, he wasn’t the star of that movie” or – insultingly – “You must not have seen the same movie the rest of us did” – or, perhaps worst of all, “Nope.” Don’t just put down error: teach truth! (Okay, I will thank **JRDelirious** , specifically, for going the extra step and explaining, not only that my use of the word “pocito” was wrong, but what the correct word was – “poquito” – in the “Spanish in Skeletons of Quinto” thread in Cafe Society. Thank you! That was actually helpful!) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/2 "2016-06-01T08:57:48Z")
Yes, this happens a lot. Some time ago, I offered some arm-chair legal opinions (okay, I should have mentioned IANAL, but I thought that was well-known and/or obvious anyway). Two posters, both lawyers AFAICT, one of them on the far side of the globe, responded: “Whargarble!” and “Please, just stop.” – Neither of them bothering to discuss what was wrong with my remarks, nor what was right instead. Ignorance not fought. I see this sort of thing a lot. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/3 "2016-06-01T12:14:01Z")
Word. I find it tedious when I go into a GQ thread and see that the first response is “No.” Or the more condescending version: “Um, no.” With nothing more. Both responses are smug and annoying. Third place (IMHO) is “Why would you think that?” asked in a way that seems to ridicule the OP. I suppose it’s one step less tedious then a thread that has devolved into puns, but at least the punsters don’t usually take over until after a factual answer has been given. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/4 "2016-06-01T13:22:02Z")
Agreed. it’s not limited to this board though. I’ve seen it on many boards over the years. It’s as if the poster saying “You’re wrong” with nothing else is inviting others to ask what is wrong. In normal conversation, that might go well. Not on a message board. Nothing I ever post is worthy of being written in stone, but my intention is always to drive the conversation forward, or at least to contribute. Similar to “You’re wrong,” with nothing else to drive things ahead include “lol,” “I see what you did there,” and “this,” among others. But that’s the way people are, and I used to get mad about it. Now I accept it, and just pass on those posts. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/5 "2016-06-01T14:18:53Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > But that’s the way people are, and I used to get mad about it. Now I accept it, and just pass on those posts. Nope. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/6 "2016-06-01T14:59:44Z")
It happens but its one of the easier things to ignore and right now I can’t think of a case where it seriously hurt a thread. I believe I’ve also see a couple times where Mods stepped in and called someone out for making a habit out of it; especially in the same thread or for the same topic. So its a nice thing to avoid doing and a good reminder but I don’t think I would try to create a rule or anything over it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/7 "2016-06-01T16:27:24Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > It happens but its one of the easier things to ignore and right now I can’t think of a case where it seriously hurt a thread. I believe I’ve also see a couple times where Mods stepped in and called someone out for making a habit out of it; especially in the same thread or for the same topic. So its a nice thing to avoid doing and a good reminder but I don’t think I would try to create a rule or anything over it. I think it could be a warnable, or at least mod-notable, offense in GQ when it’s the first post to reply to an OP. But you know what is at least as bad? When the first post in a GQ threads starts out with: _WAG…_ I mean, WTF? If all you have is a WAG, better to post nothing and wait until someone who actually knows something comes along. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/8 "2016-06-01T16:33:30Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I think it could be a warnable, or at least mod-notable, offense in GQ when it’s the first post to reply to an OP. > > But you know what is at least as bad? When the first post in a GQ threads starts out with: _WAG…_ I mean, WTF? If all you have is a WAG, better to post nothing and wait until someone who actually knows something comes along. I dunno. There’s an odd human behavior I’ve observed many times in many different settings that’s relevant to this. It comes down to a simple rule: The best way to get a correct answer is to loudly proclaim a wrong answer, because people are too lazy to provide good information unless they can score some points by correcting someone else. Being helpful is for suckers. Counting coup is for winners. ETA: If there are exceptions to the rule caused by people too lazy to actually earn their points by just baldly negating a post (a la “argument clinic”), that can’t be helped. Except maybe shaming them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/9 "2016-06-01T16:55:25Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > I dunno. There’s an odd human behavior I’ve observed many times in many different settings that’s relevant to this. > > It comes down to a simple rule: The best way to get a correct answer is to loudly proclaim a wrong answer, because people are too lazy to provide good information unless they can score some points by correcting someone else. > > Being helpful is for suckers. Counting coup is for winners. > > ETA: If there are exceptions to the rule caused by people too lazy to actually earn their points by just baldly negating a post (a la “argument clinic”), that can’t be helped. Except maybe shaming them. 😃 Except what I was describing is actually against the rules for GQ. It’s not a heavily enforced rule, but it is a rule: \*Guesses, WAGs, and speculation. We permit some educated guessing. Truly wild guesses aren’t especially helpful. We have some experts who post here. If you don’t have much information, give an expert a chance to answer by waiting until a question is about to fall off the first page before making a guess. \* ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/10 "2016-06-01T17:24:00Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Except what I was describing is actually against the rules for GQ. It’s not a heavily enforced rule, but it is a rule: > > \*Guesses, WAGs, and speculation. We permit some educated guessing. Truly wild guesses aren’t especially helpful. We have some experts who post here. If you don’t have much information, give an expert a chance to answer by waiting until a question is about to fall off the first page before making a guess. \* Right. All too often it happens that a thread is driven off the rails by some ridiculous statements made by posters who know nothing about the subject. Then the thread becomes about correcting those mistakes rather than actually answering the OP. > [@Senegoid](#): > > Some time ago, I offered some arm-chair legal opinions (okay, I should have mentioned IANAL, but I thought that was well-known and/or obvious anyway). If this was in GQ, I would say the best way to avoid this is not to offer arm-chair legal opinions. It’s not like we don’t have any lawyers here. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/11 "2016-06-01T17:45:41Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > But you know what is at least as bad? When the first post in a GQ threads starts out with: _WAG…_ I mean, WTF? If all you have is a WAG, better to post nothing and wait until someone who actually knows something comes along. That’s my key peeve. (I think I may have once started a thread about it.) You start a thread asking if the explanation for something is X, Y, or Z. A guy comes along and says “it’s Y”. That adds nothing (other than bumping the thread, which to be honest is sometimes helpful). IMO you need to either say “I’m an expert in this field and it’s Y” or “It’s Y because …” or else to provide a new explanation not included in the OP. Otherwise you’ve added nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/12 "2016-06-01T18:55:07Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > But you know what is at least as bad? Hitler? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/13 "2016-06-01T19:12:58Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Hitler? No. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/14 "2016-06-01T19:46:58Z")
I actually don’t mind the “speculative guess” so much (although I realize it’s against the rules), because it tends to move the conversation forward and keep it near the top of the forum while it gains some traction, instead of the thread dropping like a stone and me going home to cry into my martinis until the sadness leaves me. (ok, maybe that last part is just me). Agreed on the “Nope” responses though. I know the forum has some limitations that require a minimum post length, but that’s easy to circumvent by quoting the above post or with a sign-off. I rather wish the mods would note the spirit of the minimum post length even when it’s technically past the limit due to a quote. (of course, I prefer concise answers to winding, drawn-out locution, but there’s a happy medium). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/15 "2016-06-01T19:54:42Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > I actually don’t mind the “speculative guess” so much (although I realize it’s against the rules), because it tends to move the conversation forward and keep it near the top of the forum while it gains some traction, instead of the thread dropping like a stone and me going home to cry into my martinis until the sadness leaves me. (ok, maybe that last part is just me). As the rule says, posting a WAG is fine as long as you wait for a while to allow other posters who may know the answer to respond. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/16 "2016-06-01T19:57:20Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Nope. May Yakko, Wakko, and Dot choose you to be their Special Friend for the day. 😉 > [@kopek](#): > > . . . So its a nice thing to avoid doing and a good reminder but I don’t think I would try to create a rule or anything over it. Agreed. I posted this as a “Hey, can we all try to avoid this” plea, rather than as “I’d like to see a rule about this.” (Also as a “Gaah, it really bums me when this happens” gripe.) > [@gnoitall](#): > > . . . The best way to get a correct answer is to loudly proclaim a wrong answer, because people are too lazy to provide good information unless they can score some points by correcting someone else. . . . Grin! That’s elegantly cynical, and, not infrequently true. I think the SDMB is a little better than most other forums, because, in addition to scoring cheap points, we also like to show off our knowledge. (And the knowledge-base here is remarkable! Questions do get answered – maybe after a little persistence.) ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/17 "2016-06-02T03:42:02Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > But you know what is at least as bad? When the first post in a GQ threads starts out with: _WAG…_ I mean, WTF? If all you have is a WAG, better to post nothing and wait until someone who actually knows something comes along. That’s something I can live with. I’ve seen some occasions where we (collectively) have come in behind one of those almost like the Wrath of Actual Knowledge and put down some good info. Now, my personal pet peeve in GQ, and we don’t see it quite as much as we used to, was always “Here let me Google that for you”. Maybe I asked in a forum like this because I wanted more than just the usual Wiki entry. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/18 "2016-06-02T03:53:44Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Now, my personal pet peeve in GQ, and we don’t see it quite as much as we used to, was always “Here let me Google that for you”. Maybe I asked in a forum like this because I wanted more than just the usual Wiki entry. That is against the GQ rules, and I often have modded such remarks. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/19 "2016-06-02T05:35:18Z")
I’ve done the WAG thing when I see something go off the page. Though I never really think it’s totally out there. The main thing I think is important is to indicate what I’m doing. I try to include lines like “of course, someone who knows more may say I’m totally wrong” or some such. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/20 "2016-06-02T06:01:08Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > That is against the GQ rules, and I often have modded such remarks. I believe you. I could be missing a lot of them (examples of that particular mod note) because once I see it I tend not to visit that thread again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208.md?page=2)