I am going to present a counter-factual. In general, optimists rule the world. Now, I will admit that I had an easy childhood with my own room, vacations to Disneyworld,..., the whole nine yards, so I may simply be the honest man who never tries to take something he has not earned, so he never got scammed, but if you never invest, you never get a return. Now, I do not take chances loaning money to street hustlers, but I will buy stock in public companies, AFTER I have read their financials (last year's 10k at least).
For example, I used to mine Bitcoin way back in the day. I sold them all to MtGox for like $6 each. I never saw the massive rise coming. I thought this stuff was just for nerds like me. I should have saved some, but in the same right, someone else might have never gotten in thinking it is a scam (many blockchain products are).
What I have seen a lot of is people who grew up around a lot of nasty, dishonest people sell themselves short by being too distrusting. The biggest tell that someone grew up rough is their lack of trust or general disbelief of credentials. I understand it, but it screams "poor people," just not as bad as a gangster stroll or tinted windows.
I agree that we all must adapt, but too must distrust limits one's options in life, and that is a price too high to pay. In the end, sometimes it is worth putting a little money out on long-run bets. One might be hiring a smart kid out of university instead of an experienced hire because she looks aggressive and ready to kick some ass. I would still verify references and resume entries, but I will take calculated risks.
From my point of view, most people get scammed because they are greedy or they are deeply insecure about looking foolish. The first is easy enough to avoid. The second is a deeply human quality. If you do not know, sometimes you simply need to admit it. Again, I am honest about my failings (fat, glutinous in the presence of chocolate, in my own world most of the time, poor communication skills, zero athletic ability, no interests in pop culture or sports,...), so that might be easy for me because I have never had anything to prove. I would also add to the scam victim list the miserly types who seem to not care about getting scammed so long as they can brag about the deals they have scored. There is no saving those folks. They do not want to be saved.
Overall I am loving your work. I had almost the opposite of your life (started rich, then poor, then destitute, now living a modest yet meaningful life). It is fascinating to me that other than this minor critique I agree with 99% of what you write.
You have to have knowledge of the scammers of this world always slip up.. It can be a game of the minds.. So don't be fooled.. Live life and be real.
A great piece.. And ones which should be shared far afield.
I am going to present a counter-factual. In general, optimists rule the world. Now, I will admit that I had an easy childhood with my own room, vacations to Disneyworld,..., the whole nine yards, so I may simply be the honest man who never tries to take something he has not earned, so he never got scammed, but if you never invest, you never get a return. Now, I do not take chances loaning money to street hustlers, but I will buy stock in public companies, AFTER I have read their financials (last year's 10k at least).
For example, I used to mine Bitcoin way back in the day. I sold them all to MtGox for like $6 each. I never saw the massive rise coming. I thought this stuff was just for nerds like me. I should have saved some, but in the same right, someone else might have never gotten in thinking it is a scam (many blockchain products are).
What I have seen a lot of is people who grew up around a lot of nasty, dishonest people sell themselves short by being too distrusting. The biggest tell that someone grew up rough is their lack of trust or general disbelief of credentials. I understand it, but it screams "poor people," just not as bad as a gangster stroll or tinted windows.
I agree that we all must adapt, but too must distrust limits one's options in life, and that is a price too high to pay. In the end, sometimes it is worth putting a little money out on long-run bets. One might be hiring a smart kid out of university instead of an experienced hire because she looks aggressive and ready to kick some ass. I would still verify references and resume entries, but I will take calculated risks.
From my point of view, most people get scammed because they are greedy or they are deeply insecure about looking foolish. The first is easy enough to avoid. The second is a deeply human quality. If you do not know, sometimes you simply need to admit it. Again, I am honest about my failings (fat, glutinous in the presence of chocolate, in my own world most of the time, poor communication skills, zero athletic ability, no interests in pop culture or sports,...), so that might be easy for me because I have never had anything to prove. I would also add to the scam victim list the miserly types who seem to not care about getting scammed so long as they can brag about the deals they have scored. There is no saving those folks. They do not want to be saved.
Overall I am loving your work. I had almost the opposite of your life (started rich, then poor, then destitute, now living a modest yet meaningful life). It is fascinating to me that other than this minor critique I agree with 99% of what you write.