Your guess is as good as mine

You know what I don’t get? I don’t get the whole speculation, guessing thing. I just don’t get it. Why bother guessing, why not just wait for the answer?

 

Marko and I are a lot alike in a lot of ways, but not in this way. Marko LOVES to guess. 

 

One of the only programs I watch on TV is Survivor so it has become a bit of a ritual for Marko and I to watch the program together, and every week, without fail, as we get to the end, Marko will ask me who do I think will get voted off. And every week I have to listen to Marko expend an enormous amount of brain energy working out various different scenarios of what will happen if X votes for Y but A votes for B.  And I sit there thinking ‘huh? Just wait two minutes and we will know for sure’.* 

 

I don’t get it. I asked him why he does it and he says so that he can prove he is right. Against yourself? I ask. You want to prove to yourself that you were right? Yes, he says. As I said, I don’t get it.

 

But it seems Marko is not alone in this. It happens in sport, in politics, in just about everything. I listen to the radio how they dedicate entire SHOWS to guess what the score will be in tomorrow’s game. They call experts in, they have phone ins, they argue back and forth why their guess might be right and I sit there thinking ‘WHAT IS THE POINT????’ Just wait until tomorrow and then we will all know.

 

If you are a serial guesser, please explain the fascination. Is it a similar thrill to gambling? (Another thing I totally DO NOT GET!) When you gamble is part of the thrill guessing right? Or is just that you like throwing your money away? (Heh heh. I have many addictions but gambling is certainly not one of them, way too tightfisted for that.)

 

* There is nothing Marko likes more than proving himself right AND at the same time, me wrong. Even though he makes me play the guessing game against my will, he still gets a little thrill when his guess is right and mine is wrong.  Whatever, you guessed right, you are the winner, well done. Come here let me pat you on the head.

Comments

[Felicity]

I dont care for guessing either! But my husband ALWAYS has to be right! And, like Marko.. the thrill of being right is SO much sweeter when I am wrong! Its a competitive thing with Marty, he just has to win.

:)

[Jennifer Rindfleisch]

I do love to guess, but I don't like to gamble. I think my competitiveness gets the best of me. I do like the thrill of ALWAYS being right:) Dancing with the Stars is one show I always guess. After the first few shows, I already have planned out who will get booted off each week. It's a great feeling. Ahhh, the little things.

[Nix]

No idea..... Hate guessing, don't like gambling and not too big on suprises.

Hypothetical situations irritate the hell out of me!

Would love to know what others think

[Chickenpig]

You say you aren't a gambler my dear, but what is IVF but a huuuuuge gamble with everything at stake? And then all the guessing! Will the embryos be good? Will they implant? Is that implantation spotting? Will I have a positive beta? Will it double? Is there more than one in there? And on and on and on. I was never very fond of the guessing, but I couldn't help it.

Or maybe that's why you're not a big fan of the guessing game thing? I'm just guessing ;)

[Kirsty]

I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE guessing games! But I don't love gambling, so the 2 definately do not go hand in hand!
But the guessing - oh my heavens, I can't get enough of it! Befor I open a present, I feel it through the paper to see if I can guess what it is!! And guess what?? I love finding out my guess was right!
I also never found out the sex of my 3 babies when I was pregnant! I loved everyone trying to guess what I was going to have - and even more so - I loved the surprise when they were born and revealed if they were a pink or blue bundle of joy!
And guess what???? I GUESSED the sex correctly for each baby! So - 3 pats on the back for me!!

[Aadila]

My husband takes it a step further-u ask him wat yr a movie was made(i.e plz press info on th dstv decoder) No-we hav to both Guess first. While watchin th apprentice-we hav to guess wat color tie The Donald is wearing b4 he enters th boardroom-&becomes truly jubilant when he guesses right.or "i sayyyyyy (insert name here) is leaving/getting fired" all i want 2say &do sometimes-hehe, Is, Can u just shut up so i can watch in peace?! I Dont Know,i wouldn b watching if i Did Know.

[Andrea]

I don't get the fascination and the brain energy (and time) expended on watching reality TV shows.

[snickollet]

I'm just like you--hate the guessing. Seems like a waste of time to me when there's no way to actually know.

[Darkchocolate]

hate guessing. I have been known to flip to the end of the book to check if my fave character survives rather keep guessing if they are going to be offed in the next chapter.

[Stephanie in PR]

My husband loves to try to guess who did it on any crime/mystery show that I watch. I hate this because I just like to let the story unfold/develop, but he always tried to guess in the 1st or 2nd act. Drives me nuts!

[Sheri Bheri]

No-no-no-no-no! You are NOT wrong, ever. Occasionally, you are mistaken, but never, ever WRONG. That's my line and I'm sticking to it.

Speaking of guessing, do you have people who say "Guess what?" or "Guess who called?" ARGH! I hate that. Because I totally SUCK at the "Guess What?" game!

[Chicago]

Tertia: It is so funny that you bring this up! I have a similar thing going on with Mr. Chicago only with a twist. My husband does not have an intuitive bone in his body so his guessing is almost always entirely wrong! So I have to listen to him blather on with what I call his "interesting theories" while I, too, am playing the guessing game, silently in the privacy of my own head and, more often than he, getting it right. Happily for me, he does not watch reality shows with me so I don't have to listen to his "insights" as to what will happen at tribal council. But we do watch a show called "Dexter" together which is full of tense plot twists and turns. I don't want to hear his predictions and I try really hard not to make predictions myself because . . . I want to be surprised and thrilled and shocked when something happens! Like the writers intended. In the first season of "Dexter", DH did actually guess that a character was a bad guy way before I did, and I didn't care. I liked the slow realization as the story took me on a journey to discover this. Predicting from the first moment he appeared on screen would have taken all the fun out of it for me. I beg him to keep his theories to himself but sometimes he can't help himself. He'll start with, "I know you hate it when I do this, but..." But nothing, pal! Keep your theories to yourself! As Tertia said, we'll know for sure in 44 minutes.

[Olivia]

I hate guessing, too. Never had the urge to guess what my christmas presents were, never try to figure out the winner of a show, never try to figure the "surprise" ending of a movie....I have a friend who loves to guess (and often spoil) the ending of all mystery movies. Me? I like to be surpised at the end. Fortunately, my husband feels more like I do so we get along fine on that account.

[Olivia]

I hate guessing, too. Never had the urge to guess what my christmas presents were, never try to figure out the winner of a show, never try to figure the "surprise" ending of a movie....I have a friend who loves to guess (and often spoil) the ending of all mystery movies. Me? I like to be surpised at the end. Fortunately, my husband feels more like I do so we get along fine on that account.

[Olivia]

I hate guessing, too. Never had the urge to guess what my christmas presents were, never try to figure out the winner of a show, never try to figure the "surprise" ending of a movie....I have a friend who loves to guess (and often spoil) the ending of all mystery movies. Me? I like to be surpised at the end. Fortunately, my husband feels more like I do so we get along fine on that account.

[Gigi]

I´m with Marko on this one. Very few things are as satisfying as proving yourself right. bonus points if you prove some wrong at the same time. If that someone is your husband the it ranks right up there with an uninterrupted night´s sleep (which we all know ranks higher than SEX after you have kids). Plus it gives you the right to say that you know everything and no one should question you ever again. On anything. I don´t like gambling, though.

[Olivia]

Crap! Sorry about the triple post. My comment didn't look like it was going thru.

[jen]

Oh I am a guesser. Even if I don't know the answer to a question, I guess. Sometimes this drives my husband mad because he doesn't know if I "know" or if I am just guessing. Although at the same time, we do both watch Big Brother (I can't believe I admitted that) and we both would be guessing who would be ousted.

As to why, hmm, I am not a gambler though my husband is. I do like being right (who doesn't) but I don't think that is quite the reason either. I only like to guess on things I have some knowledge of though. Maybe it is just a type of curiosity?

[Anna]

To be good at guessing can be important for the family finances. If you are playing with money (assuming you have to spare!) or with your retirement funds you can follow a general strategy but you also need make reasonable guesses of what's ahead.

[Stefanie]

I don't have to guess - I read the spoilers. Except this year Survivor has been kept so quiet that there aren't many spoilers.

I watch a lot of reality shows and check the blogs and message boards on them. I go into withdraws when there isn't anything on. Amazing Race ended last night, Biggest Loser is just another week or 2, as is Survivor. So, then I'm a moody bitch until American Idol and Big Brother starts.

[katherine]

I think the need to guess, for many people, comes with the need to control things: You may not be able to control your future, but if you can guess/predict it correctly, then you have a head start, and you certainly get the illusion of control...
So I think guessing has its roots in fairly basic human instincts...

I also think that the people who are more inclined to guess/guesstimate, are the more analytically inclined: The scientific types who like to propose and test theories, and the strategy-lovers like to see if a certain tactical plan can pay off.

[midlife mommy]

Hate guessing, love gambling. I rarely gamble though; I think it's been years. It's the thrill of the potential win. You really can't guess at anything -- it's just the luck of the draw usually.

[Liznica]

Try watcing 7de laan (SA soapie) with him. He will never admit to following the storyline, but he has to keep guessing the plot. It is neverending torture. Especially since he keeps missing whole episodes and adjusting his theories when he cathes up...

[Ann]

Oh hell. What chance do I have? I can't bother guessing and I can't bother waiting. I have to know NOW. When Survivor starts, I always go to the American website (which is always WAAAYYY ahead of ours) and see who is going to win. I am the only one in our family like this. Throughout the programme, they will all ask if I know who is going to win and I smugly just keep the info to myself. They NEVER peek in advance!

What is wrong with me??

[Marcia Francois, Organising Queen]

Tertia, what is your Myers-Briggs profile?

I'm guessing some SJ-ness :)

[Coral]

I am an inherent show off, so at school did badly at term time, come exams - who is top of the class? I love 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' I get so many questions right - yay for me. That is what it is all about - trying to show (off) your intelligence!

[Tessa]

hehehehe... I had to laugh at the "just wait 2 minutes and you will find out". I just read your book (as we are starting IVF in Jan at CFC) and there is a lot of waiting in that game - remember "hurry up and wait"... :) so although I totally agree with you about waiting the 2 minutes and you will find out, the waiting game is all relative don't you think?

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