< Back to front page
Text size
–
+
Wednesday discussion: Why do people write to advice columnists?
As I mentioned earlier this week, I'm restructuring the blog a bit, to give you -- and me -- more variety. On Wednesdays I'll post a question, not necessarily sent in by a reader, and ask for your responses. Instead of posting a summary reply later, we can simply have a conversation in the comments. (The new software makes it easier for me to respond.)
Anyway, here is your question for today, most definitely not sent in by any reader:
Why do people write to advice columnists?
I'm sure there are plenty of motives, of course; I'm only wondering if there are some I haven't thought of. Some letters I get -- not many -- sound desperate, as though the person clearly hasn't anyone else to talk to. Some are obviously the result of a disagreement, serious or lighthearted, between two people, or in an office, and the word of Miss Conduct (or The Ethicist, Amy, Dear Prudence, or Miss Manners, whoever publishes the letter first) is supposed to settle things. Sometimes I think the LWs have their problems pretty much under control, or aren't asking for advice so much as being curious what a writer they might like would say about that weird thing the guy did in the parking lot.
What about you? Why do you think people write to advice columns? Have you ever written in, to me or anyone else?
UPDATE: Hmm! I thought this commenting software would thread comments, so that I could reply directly underneath a comment, and we could get discussions going, and all of that. This was the idea. It does not work that way, however. I did add a few comments of my own but clearly I need to rethink this.
The author is solely responsible for the content.
About Miss Conduct
Welcome to Miss Conduct’s blog, a place where the popular Boston Globe Magazine columnist Robin Abrahams and her readers share etiquette tips, unravel social conundrums, and gossip about social behavior in pop culture and the news. Have a question of your own? Ask Robin using this form or by emailing her at missconduct@globe.com.
Welcome to Miss Conduct’s blog, a place where the popular Boston Globe Magazine columnist Robin Abrahams and her readers share etiquette tips, unravel social conundrums, and gossip about social behavior in pop culture and the news. Have a question of your own? Ask Robin using this form or by emailing her at missconduct@globe.com.
contributor
Robin Abrahamswrites the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine and is the author of Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners. Robin has a PhD in psychology from Boston University and also works as a research associate at Harvard Business School. Her column is informed by her experience as a theater publicist, organizational-change communications manager, editor, stand-up comedian, and professor of psychology and English. She lives in Cambridge with her husband Marc Abrahams, the founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, and their socially challenged but charismatic dog, Milo.
Who is Miss Conduct?
Robin Abrahamswrites the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine and is the author of Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners. Robin has a PhD in psychology from Boston University and also works as a research associate at Harvard Business School. Her column is informed by her experience as a theater publicist, organizational-change communications manager, editor, stand-up comedian, and professor of psychology and English. She lives in Cambridge with her husband Marc Abrahams, the founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, and their socially challenged but charismatic dog, Milo.
