Advice 101: Only ask for advice if you really want it
Wanna know what I love? I love the guy who asks me for advice and then shoots down every suggestion I have.
Okay, maybe I don't love that so much.
Yes, I've got this here blog, and I have a few opinions every now and again, and I also have that handy little link in the sidebar so people can write me with their questions. Often enough, I don't really have much useful to say about people's dilemmas. Much as I'd like to have all the answers, I really only have like half of them. And it often seems to be the wrong half. (Use a thin coating of soap on the bathroom mirror to prevent fogging. See?)
But I do assume that when someone writes or IMs me with a question, that they, I don't know, want advice. But something that seems to happen pretty frequently in these circumstances is that this person wants me to fix the issue at hand, to give advice that doesn't require work on their part, or, if the problem is that he's having trouble getting laid, then obviously I'm obligated to sleep with him, as that would solve his problem.
Really, people, didn't your parents teach you anything? Complaining is entirely allowed, but don't ask for advice if you just want to complain. And if you ask for advice and then shoot down everything your friends or anonymous internet chick suggest, my advice is that you should expect them to get annoyed and hang up.
Comments
Most people don't want advice. They want that experience of being given a solution which makes them smack their forehead and say, "Duh! That's so EASY! Why didn't I think of that?" Good advice tends to fall under the category of, "Stop doing the stupid thing which is making you unhappy, silly."
Posted by: GreyDuck | February 19, 2007 10:04 PM