>>....we have all heard the phrase, "Trust your fellow man." To that I say, "Bunk." Personally, I don't trust anyone that isn't close to me. A person either has to be ignorant or blind if they can't see what's going on out in the world today. ...>
Have to agree with RiverUp on his sentiment (copied from his post). I grew up in a large city in the "tough" part of town. Being street-smart was just a part of everyday life.
I trust my fellow man...figuratively. And actually, if you look at statistics you are more likely to be a victim of crime by someone you know, than by a stranger. Never assume that even a relative - let alone a friend, and especially one that pushes into your life - has YOUR best interests at heart unless proven over time.
I have friends and relatives whom I'd certainly trust, and know they would do their utmost to keep their word to me. But there are others who are nice people, but I would not necessarily want a close relationship with. There are relatives I've refused to loan money to, but there are friends whom I have lent thousands (and yes, they paid me back faithfully, just as I expected).
My guidelines are pretty simple: no stranger walks into my house unless I am actually doing business with them (such as our recent remodel), and if you screw up anything, you don't get a second chance to do business with me.
I will say that my MIL was the ideal victim for a scammer or unscrupulous con man, which was one of the benefits to convincing her to sell her home and move in with us. She had grown up with small-town mentality, and could not conceive that anybody who was friendly and smiling could possibly be dishonest or unethical.
She could remember to lock the front door, but she judged by superficialities and had a hard time saying "no!" to people - dangerous qualities in today's society.
