Bomir wrote:
nerdygirl wrote:
People don't like to be corrected because it makes them feel like idiots. I learned that the hard way.
Sometimes it is necessary to correct someone, but on minor things (like how many times someone went to Safeway), it is better to not correct someone. Save the corrections for things that really MEAN something.
Correcting people on minor things will make you look like you feel superior to others, even if you don't meant to communicate that. It also communicates that you are hard to please and difficult to be around. It makes others afraid of making mistakes because you will pick up on and point out every single one.
Learning when and when not to ask questions or correct people is an art. I ask myself these questions:
Is it important for the person to know?
Will the incorrect information damage a relationship or cause someone to make a bad decision, etc.?
Will this issue matter in five years?
etc. If the answer is "no", leave it be.
BTW, getting the number of times one went to Safeway wrong does not indicate a "shallow thinker."
But how do you get past that nagging feeling that you're being a bad person by letting the people you care about make themselves look dumb? To me it's kind of like if you let your friend walk around with toilet paper hanging out of the back of their pants. I mean if a friend found out you let them do that knowingly, they'd be pissed. I just feel so compelled out of compassion I guess.
And I call that shallow thinking because even a split second of further thought would have allowed them to most likely catch themselves. (Well that's my faith in them as people I care about).
A split-second of further thought would also keep me from locking myself out of my house, bumping into things, avoiding saying things that are a social faux pas and numerous other negative things. I can be an absent-minded social idiot quite easily, as I believe many with AS can be. If an extra "split-second" of thought was all it took, everyone here on WP is a shallow thinker!
As far as your toilet-paper scenario, I would file that under question #1. Is it important for the person to know? The answer is YES. Not knowing something like that could bring them ridicule. In that instance, say something. Just try to be discreet about it. Like don't yell it or say it in front of a bunch of people - say it quietly in private.