52
votes
Why are we challenging the premise rather than answering the question (question on potential sexist remarks)?
Should we ignore the premise?
Let us consider the following, exaggerated, cases:
In the first, a question is posted, reading
If someone's life is in imminent danger due to a threat of a third ...
- 131
29
votes
Why are we challenging the premise rather than answering the question (question on potential sexist remarks)?
For future similar questions, in my opinion we should put the question on hold immediately (with reason "unclear what you are asking"), so that it can be edited and improved by the OP without ...
- 47.2k
23
votes
How to proceed with the lingerie–elevator question?
Having just reviewed my supervisor's training on workplace harassment, I have strong opinions on this question. Short version: it can have a simple and definitive answer, and should be edited and re-...
- 190k
21
votes
Why are we challenging the premise rather than answering the question (question on potential sexist remarks)?
@RQM's answer (and my guess as well) in a nutshell: people were questioning the premise because they were worried that if they were to answer the question literally, their answer would be misapplied ...
- 6,842
20
votes
Why are we challenging the premise rather than answering the question (question on potential sexist remarks)?
You should challenge the premise because that is what intelligent people do.
The OP gave background to a situation. She had nothing more to add when questioned about this background. So to those ...
- 4,933
20
votes
Is a question about the Nobel Prize committee/awardees on-topic here?
My two cents....
To the title question: yes, absolutely. When in doubt, we should try to accept questions, not try to close them.
There are many a number of Nobel prizes, some of which are only very ...
cag51Mod
- 71.1k
16
votes
Why are we challenging the premise rather than answering the question (question on potential sexist remarks)?
I think the answers to the original question were appropriate to the specific situation presented: it would be a bad idea to assume sexism was the reason for the student's actions.
Now the OP has a ...
- 181
16
votes
Did this question have a thank-you note added by somebody other than the person who asked it?
The OP mistakenly posted that additional text as an answer. Moderators can directly convert such non-answers to a comment or an edit to the question. The edit is automatically attributed to the ...
- 55.6k
14
votes
How to proceed with the lingerie–elevator question?
I think that this is a good faith question which we should attempt to give a good faith answer to, and I like several of the answers which were given before it was closed. It could also go on ...
- 2,932
13
votes
Accepted
Did this question have a thank-you note added by somebody other than the person who asked it?
The edit matches, word for word, what the OP of the question posted as an answer. A moderator (Massimo Ortolano) deleted that "answer" (presumably since it does nothing to answer the ...
- 27.9k
13
votes
Why were my comments deleted?
The comments in question stated:
You: Step zero — pick your ancestors wisely.
OP: Can you explain what it means?
You: The thinking castes are not merely educated, they are the result of centuries ...
cag51Mod
- 71.1k
12
votes
Should we reject an edit that fundamentally changes an off topic question on translating books?
I thought it was strange to edit a question that was clearly off-topic into something very different simply for the sake of "saving" it. It also introduces weird things, like the OP of the off-topic ...
- 6,141
12
votes
Accepted
Contacting a user to share very valuable info with them
By design, Stack Exchange does not allow direct messaging between users, but only communications through comments and chats, which, however, require a minimum of reputation.
However, you’re ...
- 55.6k
11
votes
Accepted
Was there a clear consensus on gender neutral edits?
The consensus seems pretty clear from the votes on answers to
How do we feel about gender specific terms?
Gendered pronoun usage
There seems to be far more support for "do as you like in your own ...
- 109k
11
votes
Questions that are non-anonymous rants/accusations against specific individuals
In general, I agree with the Massimo’s and Sascha’s answers that such questions should stay as long as they can be sufficiently anonymised.
They can help others in similar situations and as long as ...
WrzlprmftMod
- 63.6k
11
votes
Can we reopen the question about reducing PhD positions?
The linked post isn't a question; it's a persuasive essay. There isn't even much of an attempt to frame it as an objectively addressable question; it's simply an attempt to argue a philosophical ...
- 48.6k
10
votes
Accepted
How to continue with the “political attitudes of academics” question?
I think the question is a good fit for this site in its current state as it does not solicit mere opinions and tries not to incite political debates.
However, given the inevitable attraction of ...
WrzlprmftMod
- 63.6k
10
votes
Questions that are non-anonymous rants/accusations against specific individuals
However unpleasant they are, I think we should deal with such kind of questions. For two reasons.
It can be challenging to write one, but a balanced or straight answer to a thorny question can be ...
- 55.6k
10
votes
Why was this offensive?
I was not involved in the deletion of your question. But here is why I would arrive at the same decision:
Taken out of context, your last paragraph is misogynistic victim blaming.
Within context, I ...
WrzlprmftMod
- 63.6k
9
votes
If your essay limits 1500 words, can you just reference essay prompt without discussing it, then criticize it?
You cannot. Your question is a textbook example of the point “Questions on your […] teacher’s preferences” in the respective FAQ. The only person who can answer this question is your instructor. ...
WrzlprmftMod
- 63.6k
9
votes
Is a question about the Nobel Prize committee/awardees on-topic here?
To repeat my comment here: awards are on-topic. We even have an awards tag. If awards are on-topic in general, major awards like the Nobel prize surely are on-topic as well. Regarding the individual ...
8
votes
Why was “Funding in mathematics from large companies as undergraduate” closed?
I believe the reaction is to the request for a list of funding sources. However, the question about whether or not it's appropriate to cold call companies and corporations could be a valid and ...
- 174k
8
votes
Could this huge attention to a gender related question be marked as sexist in Academia.SE?
No.
Though your opinion is different, I believe it is addressing something that is highly relevant to academia: note that answers and comments from other women back this up. Just because it would ...
Bryan KrauseMod
- 126k
8
votes
Accepted
Is a question requesting an endorsement (or other similar benefit to the OP) spam?
Validated spam flags cause the user's account to be fed to automated systems that limit/prevent future posting.
In the case of the post you describe, I deleted the post to reduce the potential benefit ...
Bryan KrauseMod
- 126k
7
votes
Why are we challenging the premise rather than answering the question (question on potential sexist remarks)?
As originally written, the question was:
So I am not necessarily soliciting an answer specific to my situation,
but in a more general setting.
If you witness a student engaging in a sexist behavior, ...
- 595
7
votes
Why is “What are illegal or/and inappropriate question on job interview?” too broad?
First, I want to say that I think that the question posed about how to handle job interview questions about family is important, and is answerable within the framework of the site. I've expanded in ...
- 3,760
6
votes
Accepted
On topic to ask for feedback on draft of degree project report?
This is off-topic here because it is about the content of your specific field and not about academia. It’s also not suited for any other site on the network because it’s a request for unspecific ...
WrzlprmftMod
- 63.6k
6
votes
Accepted
How to deal with the "research at highly productive institutions" question?
I think the problem with the original question, as well as all suggested modifications, is that there is not really a meaningful question. You seem to be asking why there is a correlation between a ...
- 6,141
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible