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13 April 2006
Ask Mecha--Ask Mefi Is it ever appropriate to intentionally answer an AskMe question in a way that's not entirely sincere?
Are you talking about the Cleveland AskMe from yesterday? The poster didn't even search the tags, let alone the front page. Also, they had obviously done absolutely zero research of their own on the topic (Westlake?!). I thought your answer was funny. And harmless, because it was bound to be contradicted by other commenters.
That's what made me think about it, but now I'm kinda thinking more broadly.
Let's say that someone asks about favorite destinations, and I think my favorite destination is too crowded already. Is it reasonable for me to name my second-favorite? What about one that I don't actually like, but that I think the asker would enjoy?
Does it make a difference if, based on information from outside the question, I think that the asker is unlikely to appreciate the charms of La Cave du Vin or Peking Gourmet or Johnny Mango's or wherever? Or what if I think that my Cleveland pals' lives would not be improved by the addition of a bunch of drunk tourists?
I used to write and edit for travel guides. There were definitely favorite places we all avoided including in the guides, because we didn't want them overrun with tourists.
And I think it's entirely appropriate to answer "you might like..." or "many people like..." I personally wouldn't cross the line and rave about how much I loved something I hated, but there are very truthful ways of composing lies of omission.
box: "no one goes there anymore because it's too crowded." (or something like that.)
As I see it, there's nothing wrong with not mentioning your favorite place. Or even your second favorite place. As long as you don't actually tell an untruth, like "this place is a great martini bar" when it's a sports bar with "exotic" beers like Molson and Labatt's, I don't see anything wrong with not mentioning stuff. And yeah, saying stuff like "you may like" is always a good option; especially since there is no real indication whether you like it. I often recommend stuff that I think other people will like, even though I don't.