Why do askers like archangel TJ ask a question for which they do not want the true answer?

Question

This is a typical situation on yahoo answers that I find annoying. People just want to confirm their beliefs so they ask a question already looking for the answer they want. For example, Archangel TJ asked: How come Christians never study physics only nerds do? Then, many answerers, some of them saying they're Christians, provided names of Christian physicists as well as stating that they enjoy studying physics-myself included.
But, archangel chose to give the best answer rating to someone that just said "that's so true".
Yahoo answers are meant to inform and correct people's erroneous beliefs; don't use it in a hypocritical way, please!

? · Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, that happens a lot on y!a, and probably on R & S more so than any other forum.

The simple truth of the matter is that many on here care not a fig for honesty. They simply follow their preconceived notion about things, irrespective of how fallacious they can be shown to be.

It doesn't matter if you demonstrate by your answer that they must be wrong. They just pretend not to notice and, as you have noted, pick pathetic one-liners as best answer.

As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I encounter that frequently.

Look, for example, at this question from one who calls himself Christian:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20131217011639AAPfE8J

then look at his choice of BA, where the answerer did not even address his question.

Then you get others like this questioner:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20131201230401AA0tOmO

who gets false info from anti-JW sites on the internet, treats it as incontrovertible fact, and keeps spouting information from that same false source even though he should have been able to work out from the 6 answers from JWs in that question that there is nothing to prevent JWs from serving on a jury.

I would imagine that you are experiencing a similar bias where truth and integrity take a back seat in the mind of the questioner.

As annoying as archangel TJ's behavior may seem to you, you need to content yourself with being able to look in the mirror and know that you are meeting your own standards of ethics and integrity, because I don't fancy your chances of changing his/her ethics on y!a.

Why do askers like archangel TJ ask a question for which they do not want the true answer?

1 Answer