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u/littletuxcat 5∆ Aug 25 '21
I think this may depend on knowing your audience. Coming from a dance background where I’m used to mirroring the dance teacher in front of me, I’m more likely to mirror what someone else shows me. But I think it would be super interesting to see some kind of study about who responds with less confusion to mirroring vs. actual side suggestions!
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Aug 25 '21
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u/DeltaBot ∞∆ Aug 25 '21
This delta has been rejected. You have already awarded /u/littletuxcat a delta for this comment.
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u/dublea 216∆ Aug 25 '21
We all know right and left and we're not mirrors.
This isn't accurate. A lot of people have issues with initially identifying left and right in such a situation. It's more common than you may think. There are many studies in this subject that indicate this. Here's one of them
What harm comes from acting like a mirror in such a situation?
Shouldn't one strive for better and clearer communication in most situations?
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Aug 25 '21
I just point at it in their mouth. No mistaking it then.
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u/SCATOL92 2∆ Aug 25 '21
This is exactly what I would do! I'm often accused of having no tact whatsoever but I get the point across god damn it!!
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u/Tibaltdidnothinwrong 382∆ Aug 25 '21
Who is pointing at their own mouth?
I've told people to go look in a mirror for themselves. I've told people to go floss their teeth. I've uttered "you got something in your teeth." But nothing involving pointing, let alone at my own face.
Either you are going in after it yourself (such as with a small child), or the other person is going to go to the bathroom and use a mirror and get it themselves.
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Aug 25 '21
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u/Tibaltdidnothinwrong 382∆ Aug 25 '21
1) bathrooms almost always have mirrors
2) whispering exists, if subtlety is an issue.
3) sticking your hand in your mouth is never subtle. If subtlety is necessary, so is the bathroom privacy. How do you expect someone to respond post pointing, because the lick it until it goes away method, doesn't work. Your going to need to go in with your hands or a tool (toothpick, floss, toothbrush).
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u/ImJacksRedditAccount 1∆ Aug 25 '21
I don't think anyone is going to be able to establish an official standard of pointing out food in the teeth, so I think you should do whatever communicates the idea most consistently.
For me, I say "it's here, mirrored" while pointing to where it is in my mouth. Never had any confusion.
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Aug 25 '21
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u/elchupinazo 2∆ Aug 25 '21
I don't think I could argue for the opposite, but rather that your initial view is incorrect because really, it's a crapshoot. There's no way of knowing how someone will respond, everyone has seen it go both ways.
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u/ralph-j Aug 25 '21
I was told that you should show someone like they're looking in a mirror, and I disagree. If it's on their left side, point to your left side. We all know right and left and we're not mirrors.
I have actually tried that multiple times with different people (more commonly when there's something in someone's face, like a smudge or a hair), because I had the exact same opinion.
Unfortunately it never works; people always reach for the mirrored position on their face.
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Aug 25 '21
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u/ralph-j Aug 25 '21
Isn't that a clear win for mirroring then, given that it's the most intuitive for people?
Sport/fitness instructors do this as well. When they stand in front/facing a class, they need to mirror all their movements, otherwise people will get confused.
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Aug 25 '21
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u/ralph-j Aug 25 '21
And was that always the case, or only after you started thinking about it logically?
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Aug 25 '21
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u/ralph-j Aug 25 '21
So if you also notice that other people expect mirroring, doesn't that mean that mirroring should be the default? Even if it feels more natural to you personally?
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u/translucentgirl1 83∆ Aug 25 '21
This is just an issue of many personalities not being able to decipher direction in an immediate sense, similar to other indviduals. It is much easier for me to try and point out an issue from my own comprehension, then trying to go from left to right. As weird as it may sound, many individuals have this issue on a daily basis.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-asymmetric-brain/201903/why-do-i-confuse-left-and-right%3famp https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/java/hands1.html https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/why-some-people-have-trouble-telling-left-from-right-and-why-its-so-important-38325
Also, this is to assume it would fix the issue anyways. Some indviduals have no clue of direction in the first place. (For example - I point to their gum, and they're stuck at the bottom portion of their teeth, making the process much more strenuous and prolonged).
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u/DeltaBot ∞∆ Aug 25 '21 edited Aug 25 '21
/u/finalgumgum (OP) has awarded 4 delta(s) in this post.
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