A Quick Note Before I Continue

Hello fellow deductionists,

As I run this blog, I would love to hear any questions of yours or stories about deductions you are trying to make or have made.  I will be as nonjudgmental as possible and give any advice I can.  I know it is hard to feel confident about your skills, due to the confusing nature of deduction, but all of us are learning!  As long as you are being respectful--something I'll cover shortly--you should be proud of yourself for what you can do.

And as for respectful...I should tell you up front that there are some things you really shouldn't do when deducing things.  While it's fun to ask people awkward questions to see if your deductions are correct, you shouldn't ask about personal or sensitive things, especially if you don't know them.

You should not pry into things about somebody's illnesses, mental disorders, sexual orientations, genders, races, ethnicities, disabilities, or anything you wouldn't want somebody to ask you about.

You also shouldn't make assumptions about somebody based on any of these things, as that is stereotypical, not logical, and very disrespectful.

I'm not here to tell you everything there is to know about respect and justice; there are many other wonderful blogs, sites, and other resources to teach you what you want to know and I am not qualified to talk about the intricacies of serious issues.  However, I do believe that deductive reasoning is not an excuse to get into people's serious business.

Making people slightly uncomfortable by telling them you know what hand they write with is one thing; making people very uncomfortable by making disrespectful assumptions is another.

Also, if you think of yourself as an "amateur Sherlock" type who is trying to solve mysteries in your high school or community or whatever, I would not recommend solving actual murders or anything like that because that is really dangerous if you do not have proper equipment or training.

So, as a disclaimer, I am not responsible for what you do with this information.  I have given you these warnings, and I hope that you will use your common sense to deduce carefully and wisely!