question

[mmegaera]

Why do some people insist that other people's gut feelings are wrong? Not different, but wrong?

Esp. after having it explained that while the brain understands why the intention of the subject in question may not have been what it feels like, the gut just -- doesn't?

It's like telling someone their opinion is wrong. Facts are one thing, and can be right or wrong. But opinions are just different from each other, even if they're radically unacceptable to the other side.

Oh, Bujold list, sometimes I'd like to squeeze your little throat until something pops loose.

Comments

[cleverthylacine]

wait, this was about a MATTER OF TASTE?

o.
m.
g.

I don't even.

(I killfiled Paula within a year of joining that list.)

[mmegaera]

Yes, it was. But Paula, for once, was not the culprit. It was a relative newbie who doesn't quite understand yet that he doesn't get to be the sole arbiter of taste and font of knowledge on the list. I think he can be taught (various listees are giving him the usual treatment for the problem), but if he can't, he'll be gone soon [eg].

I've killfiled Paula off and on over the years. ATM I've got her blocked.

[cleverthylacine]

I just don't understand the mentality behind arguing with people about matters of taste. There's no way you can win that debate. No matter how much you extol the virtues of the thing you love (or deprecate the flaws of the thing you hate) you will not make someone else begin to enjoy it or stop enjoying it. The best thing you can hope for is that the other person will say that your specific factual points may be true, but they still do/don't like this thing. (For example, "Yes, Twilight is problematic, but I still enjoyed the hell out of it," or "I know dark chocolate is more nutritious, but I still prefer the taste of white chocolate and Dutch process milk, because I have a limited tolerance for bitter.")

I know you know this already, LOL. I'm just...still pretty boggled by this behaviour.

I think I have a much lower tolerance for limited social skills of this kind than I used to have. Or possibly I'm just tired of dealing with people who actually attempt to tell me that I must defend my tastes or lack thereof.

[mmegaera]

Well, I finally threw up my hands and told him "You just keep thinking, Butch, that's what you're good at," and he didn't respond back [g].

I don't know if that counts as having the last word or not, but it did it for me...