Advice

Somebody on #joiito linked to a public radio feature on advice: in part 1 Sarah Vowell does whatever people tell her to do about her insomnia and the introduction to part 2 is more about the advice column industry than advice itself; part 2 has nothing to do with advice and everything to do with Dan Savage talking about how gay guys can check out hot straight guys without getting caught—it's actually really funny—and part 3 is ... you know, I wasn't paying attention to part 3). The reason I know it was on #joiito is because it appeared at del.icio.us/chomp_joiito. I've ranted about advice before, on this weblog and on #joiito, so whoever linked to it may have directed it at me. The feature purports to answer why advice is given and is sought, and at one point we hear that that the people who give advice feel great about themselves and the people who receive advice feel terrible about themselves. That answers to my satisfaction why people like giving advice, but not why people ask for it.