gift horses with answers

from this post:

Having lived on the road for a year and a half I'm still dialing stuff in, but don't talk to me like I am an idiot, especially if you aren't on the road. I get question burnout. People type paragraphs with answers that aren't to the question asked. A lot of how to do it differently, a lot of answers that involve money I don't have. I also see plenty of bad advice on the other board. It will be nice if this board doesn't fill up with know-it-alls who have never left their driveway.

My initial reaction to this is the same as my reaction to complaints of “mansplaining”:  ignore questions from folks who are unlikely to put effort into understanding answers.

My second reaction is that people will complain about anything, even if it is free.  I used to work at a bakery and was disturbed to be throwing away edible food each night.  I got corporate approval to take the leftovers to a local shelter each night on my own time and own dime.  After about a week the shelters’ clients started complaining there wasn’t meat in the vienoisserie and there wasn’t always [insert favorite bakery item here].  I don’t need or want thanks for volunteer work;  still it is depressing to have the beneficiaries moan about how their personal preferences aren’t catered to.  Sorry folks, that’s what is available.  Take it or ignore it.

I’ll break down the complaint above into chunks to illustrate why I think it is wrongheaded.

I get question burnout. People type paragraphs with answers that aren't to the question asked.

That started so promisingly, then blamed burnout on the people doing the work.

Most of these long answers are to the question asked, but the questioner doesn’t know enough yet to see the connection.   People who provide extra information are trying to help the questioner understand so they can think through the options (and issues in the future) for themselves.  In biblical terms, they are teaching a man to fish rather than giving a man a fish.

Learning to fish is a little scary because the fisherman is responsible for his own outcomes.  There is no one to point fingers at, to blame for an empty hook.

What is, in the long term, the right way to deal with people who don’t want to learn to fish, or don’t even understand it is possible to learn to fish?  Ignore them. Either they will figure it out or some sucker will continue feeding them fish at their personal “expense”.

A lot of how to do it differently

Sometimes the OP is doing something completely ass-backwards and onlookers can tell it could end in expensive failure.  Should we watch it happen without pointing out the common rules of thumb, aggregated consensus, safety issues?

a lot of answers that involve money I don't have.

Forum responses are not just about the OP.  The responses are available on the internet and will be available hereafter as search results.  Specific guidance with  general background added is a way to meet the needs of both audiences.

I also see plenty of bad advice on the other board.

What do you personally do about bad advice posted on the vandwelling forums?  How effective is it in helping people who want/need it?

An excellent and pro-active way to change the culture of help in the forums is to provide a good example of how to answer questions.   If the community agrees the ship will start to turn.

It will be nice if this board doesn't fill up with know-it-alls

It would also be nice if the board didn’t fill up with the clueless and learned helpless, but we get what we get.

...who have never left their driveway... don't talk to me like I am an idiot, especially if you aren't on the road.

LOL.   Reason, evidence, and physics are not affected by full-time status.

This really is a form of snobbism.  How close does the affinity have to be?  Same travel status, age, gender, medical condition, astrological sign?  Should a person willing to answer your question provide a C.V. and be pre-screened before answering?

I encourage those who criticize gift horses to start providing their own brand of horses to folks who ask for help.

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