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The XY problem in theory: An expert with broader knowledge than you realizes what you really should be asking. The XY problem in practice: Someone doesn't know
by whatshisface 5y ago
The XY problem in theory: An expert with broader knowledge than you realizes what you really should be asking.
The XY problem in practice: Someone doesn't know the answer to your question so they randomly choose a response from the ten things they do know.
Also: If we're calling it the "XY problem," does that make it mansplaining? (XY? Get it? Sorry.)
- shawnz 5y agoIf someone only has a tangential knowledge of the problem, would it be better if they just don't give their input at all and simply leave the thread empty? Non-experts contributing their opinion doesn't take away space from the experts to answer it properly. If the advice is really that bad or uninformed, then it should just be downvoted. That's not really related to the "XY problem".
- whatshisface 5y agoOn stack overflow, having several tangential non-answers will make the question look well-answered, potentially misdirecting the real expert away from it by creating a false impression.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- kasabali 5y ago> Non-experts contributing their opinion doesn't take away space from the experts to answer it properly. Ever heard of a thing called signal to noise ratio?