So my mom asked me an interesting question: "Don't you ever feel like an asshole when you think you're correcting people? Especially if the thing they believe makes them happy?"
In this conversation specifically, about science and health facts, my answer is "No."
I don't feel like I'm being an asshole when I tell you the thing you believe about a health fact is wrong. I feel like I'm helping you learn the correct way to keep yourself healthy. I know I might sound like an ass, and be perceived as an ass, but I know your intentions are good, you might just be understanding 'the thing' wrong and I want to help you actually be safe.
For context: My mom has a fear of having a heart attack or stroke, but she doesn't talk to doctors or health professionals about staying healthy or safe. Instead she found this "Influencer" who gives "health advice", but this person has also been banned from Australia because their 'advice' was so wrong, it threatened peoples' health. My mom thinks eating excessive amounts of Celtic Salt will provide her with minerals that will boost her health, and EVERY TIME we talk about her salt, I tell her that she's eating so much sodium, those minerals mean nothing.
I know that often, people feel like they're being insulted when someone corrects something they say, but that's not always the case. In the above situation, I correct mom's misinformation because I know the thing she is doing, is going to greatly increase the chances of her experience the thing she's trying to avoid. I'm not mean about it, just persistent. I don't tell her she's stupid or anything. I don't really tell her "you're wrong". I remind her of a health fact she used to know as true, but has since been convinced to forget it?
I did tell her, when she asked why I keep talking about it, that "you might be lucky and nothing will happen, in which case I'm just annoying and we cannot have a good conversation about salt with each other. But a majority of cases show, the excessive amount of salt people eat can lead to greater risk of stroke or heart attack. And if you are unlucky and have an event, don't be surprised if the doctor talks to you about your salt."
I've been corrected too, but I've always thought it of someone trying to teach me something. And sometimes what they say is wrong, but I appreciate their attempt to help me. They state their case, I state mine, then I move on to another topic that we don't disagree on, but sometimes something they say has me questioning, and then I get to do more research :D
There's another guy at the homeless shelter who is giving me advice on how to start my own business. I cannot talk health facts with him because he believes changing his body's PH balance will protect him from cancer and that the oncoming eclipse is caused by excessive amounts of chemicals the government is exposing us to. He speaks so often and with so much confidence and authority, that I still feel bad voicing any opposing opinions. But I still try, sometimes.
( other side note, as a presenting woman, anything I do is often brushed aside as me "being a bitch", so very often anything I say or do is dismissed or taken with skepticism. Occasionally, I do find someone who is interested in learning and we ask questions together and do research and have good fun :) )
What do you guys think? I genuinely want to know your stance on correcting people or being corrected.
