You're Wrong Because...

[Ian]

Obviously I am always right [;-)]

That said, if a fellow forum member disagrees with me on a matter of personal taste (e.g. best restaurant in the Lauragais) I am happy to accept their point of view and often feel enriched by their perspective.

However on certain issues I often feel other members have made an error in their judgement. I don't always feel like explaining (or typing) where they have gone wrong. So I am writing this post so that in the future I can simply state a number and provide the link to this thread. I think it will cut down on my typing.  Other members can use this shorthand as they see fit.

I will simply be able to say "You are wrong because Point 5" and pop a link to this page to explain.

Lack of Logic

1. Logic disconnect e.g. "Moving to France is difficult because I struggle to get a good service from my phone supplier"

2. Bad analogy e.g. "Just as a fish can't survive out of water, as a Londoner you'll never settle in the Gers"

3. Incompletion as proof of defect e.g. "you didn't differentiate between tax and real estate paperwork so your comments on French bureauocracy are false"

4. Proof by lack of evidence e.g."I don't know any successful young ex-pat entrepreneurial millionaires on this forum - they just don't exist in France"

5. Judge the whole by one selected quality e.g."Last nights guests on Amanda Lambs programme were terribly naive - her programmes are for idiots!"

6. Circular logic e.g. "I've lived here for many years because I really understand the French. I really understand the French because I've lived here for many years"

7. Overuse of Occam's razor / failure to realise that things can have many causes e.g. "My gite business is struggling - it's all down to the exchange rate" or "You only had one viewing on your house for sale and they didn't offer - it must be too expensive"

8. Running to illogical conclusions e.g."If I move to France and start enjoying that cheap wine and good cheese, I'll becaome an obese alcoholic!"

Lack of Sense

9. Ignored everything we know about the human brain and condition e.g. "Pursuing your goals and dreams will not make you happy - stick to something else."

10. Following the advice of known idiots e.g. "My skint and struggling neighbour suggested I invest in ..." or taking happiness advice from the grumpiest forum members!

11. Ignore the advice of known experts e.g. "All the experts suggest that the weather is better, the economy more vibrant and the travel connections more convenient in Provence but I'm looking around ... "

12. Ignore strong anecdotal evidence e.g. "everyone says it'll be harder to sell the four properties as a gite complex rather than as seperate dwellings - but we're gonna hold out for the full asking price on the lot"

13. Missing a pattern e.g."We've had freezing wet winters for the last 8 years, they make me so miserable. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this year"

14. Missing what's important e.g. "The response to our gite marketing has been poor - so I've stopped spending on advertising"

15. Not understanding "sunk costs" e.g. "I've spent hundreds of pounds advertising in this magazine without a single lead - if I stop advertising in it now I may miss that one hot prospect!"

16. Blame the tool e.g. "I tried to make friends by learning more French from these audio CDs - and I'm still unpopular with the locals .. those CDs were a real rubbish waste of money!"

Lack of Context

17. Ignore the downside risk e.g. "Just jumping on a plane with the kids, no language skills or finance and buying a ruin in France on my first visit sounds risky - but what fun!"

18. Poor and irrelevant comparisons e.g. "That is a very high rent for a 5 bed riverside central Paris penthouse when you compare it to the average wages of farmers in the Aude"

Generalisation

19. I am the World and the World is me e.g. "I can't make my business work therefore all new businesses fail"

20. Anything I don't understand must be easy e.g. "With the right equipment and paperwork, how difficult can it be to start your own pharmaceutical company in France?!"

21. Flashes of stating the blinking obvious e.g. "If you speak fluent French, have a strong marriage, vibrant good health, have plenty of good local contacts, great social skills and pots of money - you have little to worry about!"

[dr orloff]

I disagree on your opening gambit - see point 19.

[Jacqui Too]

[quote user="dr orloff"]I disagree on your opening gambit - see point 19.[/quote]

Great minds think alike You posted while I was writing my post re: http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1322534/ShowPost.aspx

[Renaud]

10. Following the advice of known idiots e.g. "My skint and struggling neighbour suggested I invest in ..." or taking happiness advice from the grumpiest forum members!

Damnit! rumbled at last

[woolybananasbrother]

Point ten: happiness is very often grumpiness.