Serious question for everyone

SolidGoaled

Haha yeah I got that!! To be honest, I think it's more unethical to let other people read an unchallenged statement and accept it as truth.

The wording of this statement is brilliant, and I totally agree. Even after 4 tiny weeks here on MFP, I cringe sometimes at the statements and suggestions that are made by people on the boards regarding nutrition and exercise, and when someone has the guts to do the right thing and get the correct information up there and visible somehow within these threads, I applaud them and continue to learn.

It has been an very emotional journey for me, these past 4 weeks on MFP. Every day, and I mean EVERY DAY, I learn something new about nutrition and exercise, and alot of the info has come from people who are passionate about their knowledge and have taken the time to really explain the truth to someone who is "eating twinkies" and it is that persuasive, passionate writing that has made things click for me!

Honestly - It really makes me incredibly sad to think of the years I have wasted doing things the wrong way. Making myself sick, gaining and losing the same 50 lbs so many times, I care not to count how many times I've taken on the painful uphill battle with some "new" corrupt way of thinking.

So please - keep the right information out there. Even if its just a quick post (in response to the Twinkie post, for example) that provides a link to another discussion where someone else has been the "bad guy" and taken up the debate at hand. There are people like me who desperately need and want to learn the facts.

SHBoss1673

Hmm, good stuff guys. Personally, I usually lean towards responding (as I'm sure you guys have guessed) but I do a mean devil's advocate don't I?

What I don't brook very well is people being snotty about it in their responses. More than just making that person look like a jerk, it makes it more difficult for anyone else who also would like to correct the issue, as now people have to "choose a side" instead of just reading a statement.

ladyhawk00

Ok, as we can tell by my post count - I'm a responder. :bigsmile:

In a public forum, regardless of the person's intent (whether they're asking a question or not), I think it's fair game. Yes, there have been a couple of times when someone has gotten their feathers ruffled because I corrected them.

One in particular: Someone asked a question about subject A. There are different strategies in approaching this, and I voiced my opinion, based on the research I'd done on the topic (no, it wasn't exercise cals ). Someone else came along and said that they had done "research" on it, and suggested there was a different strategy. They didn't say USE it, but offered it as an alternative. Abundant info contradicts that strategy, and it CAN be dangerous - but it is an accepted strategy for a lot of people. I felt the need to disagree. I did it respectfully (I'm pretty careful about tone on the boards), and even stated I wasn't trying to persecute the person - but the person still got mad and defensive. It was unfortunate, and I dislike that the situation arose. But I would have felt far worse if the OP (or others) had taken the suspect info and not had positive results - not knowing about the potential drawbacks.

On the other side of the coin, I got peeved once that someone corrected me - momentarily. I felt stupid, and a bit embarrassed. But it made me look closely at what I was saying, re-research it, and figure out whether I was wrong or not. (I was.) So I learned something.

There will always be the chance that the person will get defensive or feel persecuted. Some people just don't take what they perceive as criticism well. But I think most people would rather be corrected, or get better info. I think the small percentage who will take offense is an acceptable sacrifice to ensure that the best possible info is out there for everyone.

IMHO. Please don't take this the wrong way. I don't mean to be rude. :flowerforyou: