Social Question

wundayatta's avatar

How often do you ask questions that are hypothetical or speculative; as opposed to being of direct personal interest for you?

Asked by wundayatta (58741points) December 7th, 2012

I’ve noticed that people here tend to assume that all questions asked here are about the asker. They come from the asker’s personal life. Even if the asker says it is about a friend, they assume it’s really about the asker. If the asker says it’s hypothetical, they assume it’s about the asker.

Of course, sometimes people don’t want to admit to a personal situation, so they ask as if it is not about them. But I have to believe that there are times we ask questions for speculative or hypothetical reasons, not because we are really in that situation.

Of all your questions, about what portion do you think are not about you? Can you give some examples of questions you asked that were not about you?

For example, I just asked a question about how novelists develop a character. I am not a novelist, but I have many friends who are. I’m just curious about the process. I used to want to write novels, but I realize now that I never will. I am slowly coming to grips with that. I am not capable. I could never stick to it. I don’t have the patience. And I don’t think I could do what it takes to make up a character. I don’t think I would ever try. I’d have to base it on someone real. Finally, of course, to write, you need to edit, and I can’t do that, either. So it’s just for fun. Just to see how other people think about it, and how I might do it differently, although of course, I never will.

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8 Answers

Shippy's avatar

I have asked a number of questions that have no bearing on me at all. For another person or to assist another person. Good point as we can often assume an asker is asking for themselves. At times I will say, this is not for me but for a friend. Sometimes not. I often get the feeling though, that I have to read between the lines since, people might play down how important it is to them, or not want to “just come out with it”. I could be wrong though.

livelaughlove21's avatar

I absolutely ask hypothetical or speculative questions on here and I find it frustrating when my motives are repeatedly questioned.

I once asked a question about why it is so taboo to discuss money in social situations. I’ve never gotten in “trouble” or doing such a thing and nothing had happened in my personal life that spurred the question – It was just something I’m curious about. Apparently that’s hard to believe and I must’ve had a more personal motive for asking.

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

I don’t often see the difference. I feel like everything is an interest to me and involves us, as a society. I’m not removed, nor should I consider myself to be, from some hypothetical ‘other’ cloud.

woodcutter's avatar

Most of them, what few I ask. It does seem the norm here for that “pain in the ass few” to assume by asking it, you are somehow supporting an agenda, that they might find fault with.

burntbonez's avatar

I haven’t been here long, but my impression is that most of my questions are just questions of a sort of random nature, not things I am all that involved in. More for fun. Yeah, I just looked at them. None are personal. Is that bad?

ucme's avatar

I have no idea of the ratio, lots of mine are simply random shite made up on the spot.

rojo's avatar

I swing both ways and both appeal to me.

For instance, why does the word both look wrong in the last sentence? I had to check it to see if it was right.

jonsblond's avatar

I rarely ask hypothetical questions. I would say 75% of my questions are asked because I need help with something. The remaining 25% are for shits and giggles, but nothing hypothetical that I can recall.

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