The caveat here is to make sure that you’re weighting your exceptions correctly. Pointing out a rare exception can still be extremely valuable if that exception is a black-swan event that could cause catastrophic damage. For example, I don’t store paint or other volatile substances under stairs. In the vast majority of cases, storing them under stairs is no different than storing them anywhere else. However, in the exceptional case of a house fire, keeping volatiles under stairs can render the stairs inaccessible, potentially trapping people in the house. Thus, even though house fires are an extremely rare exception to the norm, I’d still point it out if I saw someone suggesting that it was okay to store turpentine or paint in the nook underneath their stairwell.
The caveat here is to make sure that you’re weighting your exceptions correctly. Pointing out a rare exception can still be extremely valuable if that exception is a black-swan event that could cause catastrophic damage. For example, I don’t store paint or other volatile substances under stairs. In the vast majority of cases, storing them under stairs is no different than storing them anywhere else. However, in the exceptional case of a house fire, keeping volatiles under stairs can render the stairs inaccessible, potentially trapping people in the house. Thus, even though house fires are an extremely rare exception to the norm, I’d still point it out if I saw someone suggesting that it was okay to store turpentine or paint in the nook underneath their stairwell.