Why do the answerers often avoid the question?

Answer 1

The question is.. which question?

Or are you refering to the fact that many answerers are simply expressing an opinion and go off on a tangent... which I don't do, because it tends to get off the subject and take much more time to answer the question, and only confuses everyone else, by trying to explain the bigger picture instead of the focused subject... rather than give a simple answer? (LOL)

Answer 2

Why do you think answerers often aviod the question?
In politics, they don't want to make a definitive statement so that in the future, they can always change their position as say they were misunderstood. Which they couldn't do if they actually answered with a yes or no.
In a therapy session, it is a tactic to get the patient to consider their own feelings by repeating their own question back to them to get them to consider what the answer is for themselves.
In life, it's because they are either too scatter-brained to focus, or are afraid of the answer.

Answer 3

Why do questioners often avoid the answer?

Answer 4

Ah, a very Good Question.

I think that sometimes we are attracted to the question because it rings a bell in us, but we get sidetracked onto other things because of the unresolved stuff we have kicking around........

It's a bit like drilling for oil. We know where to drill, but in the process of doing it, we find, through the process needed, that all kinds of other stuff is syphoned up through the borehole - gas, steam, water, shale, rocks bits of dead this n that......

If we let ourselves go, like free-association, all kinds of things float to the surface in our heads and make it out onto the screen and maybe get in the way of the supposed objective here.

Of course, I could be wrong!

Sash.

Answer 5

because they don't know the answer, but are they really avoiding the question or really avoiding the answer

Answer 6

Because most questions are avoidable.

Answer 7

It's an acquired habitual response to questioners avoiding the question.

Answer 8

Because some try to come up with something witty and get off tangent in the process. Because they dropped cigarette ashes in their lap and forgot what it was about. Because the meds are kicking in and they thought you were the mother ship.

Answer 9

Probably 'cos they don't know the answers but want the points to reach the next level?

Answer 10

Sometimes, the initial question isn't the real question but the details they add which, sometimes, is different from the initial question, or rather it seeks another answer.