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Correcting Somebody
Is it out of line to correct somebody who you know is wrong in your answer? For example, say the question is "should I keep my pony?" and another person replies "no because a pony is a baby horse so you won't go as far on him", is it out of line to say "Actually, a pony is just a horse who is under 14.2 hh" blah, blah, blah?
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Maybe give some free advice about: Advicenators?
If it's a question here, then I think you should just put what you think is correct in your answer. It would help the person who asked the question. Just don't attack the person that you are correcting.
Even in other situations, it's usually OK to correct other people as long as you don't make it a personal attack.
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It all depends. If you are nice about it and just tell them they simply made a mistake, them by all means do so. However if you are being a smart alec and are just down right degrading, then no.
Here are two examples of when it is and isn't ok to correct someone and how to do it properly:
1ST EXAMPLE;
QUESTiON- Does paternal mean father
ANSWER Y0U WANT CORRECTED- No, it doesn't.
CORRECT WAY TO CORRECT- Actually I think (s)he's confused. I'm pretty sure it does mean father.
WRONG WAY TO CORRECT- (S)he's totally wrong. It means father. They don't know what they are talking about!
In the second example, the question asked is going to get opinion answers. So not one answer is right. And not one anwer is wrong. If someone does however give a factual anwer to an opinion question, you can tell them what they did wrong in a nice way.
2ND EXAMPLE;
QUESTiON- Is George Bush a good president?
ANSWER YOU WANT CHANGED- Yes
ANOTHER ANSWER- NO
YOUR CORRECT ANSWER- Actually I don't want this turned into a fight. I just wanted to say everyone has there own opinions & no one's is going to be right. If you do however want my opinion....yadadadada
YOUR WRONG ANSWER- This is an opinion question. Are you guys stupid? No one is right and no one is wrong. Lord... Yadadadadada
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It depends on a lot of things, but here's the basic rule. If you can correct someone while sounding helpful and informative rather than down-grading or holier-than-thou, than by all means do so.
Obviously, there are some situations where this won't apply such as an overheard conversation (like in the mall), during a lecture or class (take the lecturer/teacher aside afterwards and voice your concerns about the incorrect information), or other similar situations that may arise. Obviously, use common sense.
Your example is really funny, since I was just arguing with some friends about horses vs. ponies yesterday.
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you should definitely do it. when I ask a question and don't get an answer that exactly fits my question I rate it down and offer suggestions in the feedback. it helps the site become better for people with honest serious questions. if it's the wrong information in an answer, then you didn't get an answer and it shouldn't get a four or five.
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I share this problem. While I can't stand the spread of misinformation, no matter how innocent or unimportant, I also must remind myself to consider the context of each situation and make decisions accordingly. It is difficult to be the bearer of much knowledge with a desire to share it without being labeled a "know-it-all." All you can do is try to limit your correcting of other people to appropriate situations.
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It depends on:
who said it.
if they are older than you
if they are very young
if they were being rude to you
if you were being rude to them.
To get down to it no, i dont think that it is bad to say that. if you werent being rude about then in by all means help people learn what riht. becuase if it was some brat that thought they were being all smart to you then.. yeah i would deff. correct them. but stll yes, in a nice way,mostly. if it was to your instructor or someone that odler than you, then its deff. best to be thoughtful about how words come out of your mouth.
i hope that helps
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no, better to catch ignorance before it spreads
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I think its okay. Sometimes there is a lot of bad info that could use some correction. Just be polite about it. :)
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