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“As they planned the trip, however, Ostrem and Wernstedt-Lynch noticed a pattern. People who lived in the borderlands—the activists, ranchers, and Rio Grande gu

“As they planned the trip, however, Ostrem and Wernstedt-Lynch noticed a pattern. People who lived in the borderlands—the activists, ranchers, and Rio Grande guides they contacted while mapping out their route—tended to be more encouraging than those who lived in the hikers’ respective home states of Kentucky and Maryland.” This mirrors most of my experience for travel advice. Why do people give advice when they haven’t been there and don’t know anyone that has?!?

gumby 8y ago
> Why do people give advice when they haven’t been there and don’t know anyone that has?!? Well, TBF you probably wouldn't give advice to visit, say, Aleppo right now, or jump off a cliff, even though I doubt you've done either. And so I think people generalize with the same heuristic: Someone from Minnesota or someone from Brownsville sees the same Fox News and gets the same fear; they know it's OK where they are so the danger must be someplace they haven't been. It's the same reason a person might be racist or have strong prejudicial opinions even though they know and are friends of the prejudiced group: "well my friend is the exception". I have actually been on the receiving end of that! I agree it's dumb, but the above seems like a reasonable explanation.
- gpvos 8y ago
  > Repeatedly throughout the trip, they would hear that the really dangerous area started 50 miles ahead. When they reached that section, the locals there would say the same thing. It's remarkable how local people's knowledge is, even in this day and age.
- RileyJames 8y ago
  I agree that’s a reasonable explanation of why it happens, I still find it frustrating. Aleppo is a great example. Why would I advise someone not to go? Without knowing who they are, when they’re going and for what purpose, it seems preposterous that any advice would be given at all. Asking a few questions would highlight if they’re making an informed decision and if they possess the information I hold. There are reasonable reasons to be going to Syria (soldier, aid worker, contractor, reporter) and repeating the last headline read is not useful. As for jumping off a cliff, isn’t that cliff diving? If you mean suicide, hopefully you have first hand experience on the value of life, which could be provided as useful advice. My frustration is how quickly people provide their opinions as advice, often oblivious to how informed the receiver is on the given subject.

gumby 8y ago

> Why do people give advice when they haven’t been there and don’t know anyone that has?!? Well, TBF you probably wouldn't give advice to visit, say, Aleppo right now, or jump off a cliff, even though I doubt you've done either. And so I think people generalize with the same heuristic: Someone from Minnesota or someone from Brownsville sees the same Fox News and gets the same fear; they know it's OK where they are so the danger must be someplace they haven't been. It's the same reason a person might be racist or have strong prejudicial opinions even though they know and are friends of the prejudiced group: "well my friend is the exception". I have actually been on the receiving end of that! I agree it's dumb, but the above seems like a reasonable explanation.

gpvos 8y ago
> Repeatedly throughout the trip, they would hear that the really dangerous area started 50 miles ahead. When they reached that section, the locals there would say the same thing. It's remarkable how local people's knowledge is, even in this day and age.
RileyJames 8y ago
I agree that’s a reasonable explanation of why it happens, I still find it frustrating. Aleppo is a great example. Why would I advise someone not to go? Without knowing who they are, when they’re going and for what purpose, it seems preposterous that any advice would be given at all. Asking a few questions would highlight if they’re making an informed decision and if they possess the information I hold. There are reasonable reasons to be going to Syria (soldier, aid worker, contractor, reporter) and repeating the last headline read is not useful. As for jumping off a cliff, isn’t that cliff diving? If you mean suicide, hopefully you have first hand experience on the value of life, which could be provided as useful advice. My frustration is how quickly people provide their opinions as advice, often oblivious to how informed the receiver is on the given subject.