Community Chat

[Dominosmom]

I think I have gotten better about this through the years. I have encountered some creeps back in my youth that I realize now were short on character.

[Forbidden Fruit]

Yes.  I work in the legal/criminal justice field and I have seen people at their worst and at their best.  You'd be surprised the people who "rise to the occasion" and are willing to help people out.  Sometimes it's not the people you expect.

Some of it is natural instinct and some of it is seeing the things I have seen over the years. While others consider it a skill (which I agree with), I do think part of it is a "gift."    It's weird how it works out sometimes.

The best manipulators I have met: child molesters, drug addicts, spouse abusers (not always men either).

Best advice (even though no one asked) I can give: trust God and your gut.  Neither will let you down. 

[CANDLEQUEEN]

I am a pretty good judge of character. I am also a lot less trustworthy than I used to be....I take every precaution with safety, and encourage my grown daughters to do the same. I do not answer my door to strangers any longer either. Years ago, I would at least open the door if only to say No, Thanks I am not interested.

I think in today's world you need to be very aware of your surroundings, and never take anything for granted. It is the way our world has changed.

[LilacTree]

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@cherry wrote:

Sometimes I am, but , there are con artists that can fool anyone

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@cherry

True, cherry.  One whom I met in fourth grade at the age of 8.  "Best Friends" until just a few years ago.  My beloved sister saw it . . . I didn't. 

Another who married one of my daughters, and who I fell "in love" with and treated him as a son.  He was adorable and loving.  He changed radically after the two children were born.  He became a monster who destroyed and continues to try to destroy my daughter's life even after six years since divorce.  He will never stop trying to make her life hell.

[Spurt]

I think I'm a good judge of character and my sense about people has proved to be correct. Some examples:

There was one woman in our office and she seemed nice and pleasant and helpful, but there was something about her that I just didn't have a good feeling about...Come to find out the company caught her doing some unethical things and she was fired!!!  We were told about the incident in a meeting and warned that this type of behaviour would result in not only firing but more serious legal raminfications too......

I was right about a guy my sister was dating...My sister was in love with love and it took her awhile for her to see his true character that I saw all along....

My sister had this one friend from college--never liked her, she turned out to be a user and con artist....

I had walked down to the community Mail Center and a young woman asked me if I had a couple dollars, she had run out of gas, had lost her wallet and needed just a bit of gas to get her home she lived around the corner.  The whole scenario seemed suspcious and I told her I didnt have any money on me and payday was a week away and I was broke  (I made the story up about my payday) and I quickly hurried away from her, I saw her approaching another person coming to check their mail....The whole thing looked and sounded suspcious.... ....

With all the scams, schemes, and home invasions I am very suspcious and cautious:

I dont answer my door except for family/friends or repairmen where I have scheduled an appointment....Even UPS I always look out my peephole...usually they just knock leave the package, and run to their truck. 

I'm careful and always aware of my surroundings at shopping malls and shopping center parking lots....our city has had a couple of incidents

Unfortuantely you have to be extra cautious in our world today ....

[Cakers3]

I think it is very easy to say one saw something "off" about another person when one is not directly involved with the "off" person.

We can see something wrong with a person because we are not invested on a personal level.

We all, and I mean all of us, carry some type of inner bias, if you will, about people; it may not manifest itself or be recognized but how we view people has to do not just with our personal "hink-o-meter" going off but other perceptions/experiences/etc.

Whether we are aware of them or not.

[YorkieonmyPillow]

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@NicksmomESQ wrote:

 Yes, I am.However, these days I trust no one.If you come to my door unless I know you you will not get in.If you call me & I don’t recognize your number I will not answer the phone.

  The other day I was at the mailbox & a young man approached me.He asked if he could see my home because he was interested in buying a townhouse in my development.I refered him to the management company & left.I thought about how 20 years ago I would gladly have showed him around.Times have changed & so have I.It’s unfortunate,but it is what it is.

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  That's creepy.

  No way would I allow some stranger into my home.

[IMW]

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@Imaoldhippie wrote:

I did not used to be because I took everyone at face value and trusted everyone.  Through years and years of being hurt, taken advantage of, lied to, stolen from, left high and dry,etc, etc.  I have finally learned my lesson.  I trust NO ONE and take my time before I decided to like or not, and I do not get close to anyone anymore.  I now have acquaintances and very, very few friends.

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Sadly, I can totally relate.

[RedTop]

Yes I am; my gut instinct about people has never been wrong.   

[Jordan2]

I think I am a good judge of character, I usually go with my gut about a person, very rarely have I changed my mind about them.