On Getting What You Asked For
Have noticed a worrying trend lately, when people ask me to give my (reluctant) professional opinion of what they do for their hobby. The pattern seems to go about like this:
Acquaintance: "Could you read this for me and tell me what you think?"
Me: "It's pretty."
Acquaintance: "Oh, come on. Tell me what you really think."
Me: "My professional opinion?"
Acquaintance: "Absolutely!"
Me: "Um, am I reading for content, clarity, flow, conciseness...?"
Acquaintance: "Yes."
Me: "You know I did this professionally. If I read it critically I may come back with a lot of notes."
Acquaintance: "That's what I want."
Me: "...are you sure?"
Acquaintance: "Yes."
Me: "...you're absolutely sure?"
Acquaintance: "Yes."
Me: [Insert somewhere between 15 and 40 comment bubbles intended to improve clarity, clear up holes in the logic, increase methodological rigor, and bring the item more in line with good pedagogy.]
Acquaintance: ::silence::
Me: "Hello?"
::crickets chirping::
I worry that I'm more than people bargained for, even when I warned them explicitly in advance. This is why I'm so reluctant to bring that professional opinion into the SCA: either I'm seen as a potential Snark waiting to happen, or I terrify people with the Purple Pen of Doom.
Acquaintance: "Could you read this for me and tell me what you think?"
Me: "It's pretty."
Acquaintance: "Oh, come on. Tell me what you really think."
Me: "My professional opinion?"
Acquaintance: "Absolutely!"
Me: "Um, am I reading for content, clarity, flow, conciseness...?"
Acquaintance: "Yes."
Me: "You know I did this professionally. If I read it critically I may come back with a lot of notes."
Acquaintance: "That's what I want."
Me: "...are you sure?"
Acquaintance: "Yes."
Me: "...you're absolutely sure?"
Acquaintance: "Yes."
Me: [Insert somewhere between 15 and 40 comment bubbles intended to improve clarity, clear up holes in the logic, increase methodological rigor, and bring the item more in line with good pedagogy.]
Acquaintance: ::silence::
Me: "Hello?"
::crickets chirping::
I worry that I'm more than people bargained for, even when I warned them explicitly in advance. This is why I'm so reluctant to bring that professional opinion into the SCA: either I'm seen as a potential Snark waiting to happen, or I terrify people with the Purple Pen of Doom.