Warm Fuzzies And Wackadoodles: All The Good Or Strange News To Share

[tearknee]

I think the woman's great-great grandfather might have been this guy for I think he had a brief interest in France:

[MissAlmond]

14 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I can’t feel sorry for this one. What an idiot.

The AI was bad and if this gullible woman read articles about Pitt and Ines de Ramon, why did she not pay heed no one in the industry also spoke of Pitt's serious health problems? 

OTOH, last month I listened to that Sweet Bobby podcast where an intelligent woman apparently never asked herself why a man supposedly in the witness protection program kept reaching out to her, family, and friends. And let's not forget the "Tinder Swindler" who constantly asked for money to protect him from his enemies. 

I've come to the conclusion scammers have a sixth sense on whom they can play the long con on. They move quickly from hardcore skeptics and know what buttons to push for those who might take the bait. I would have been the former and told "Brad" to go ask George Clooney for a few bucks. 

 

Edited Wednesday at 05:12 PM by MissAlmond

[Zella]

3 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

The AI was bad and if this gullible woman read articles about Pitt and Ines de Ramon, why did she not pay heed no one in the industry also spoke of Pitt's serious health problems? 

OTOH, last month I listened to that Sweet Bobby podcast where an intelligent woman apparently never asked herself why a man supposedly in the witness protection program kept reaching out to her, family, and friends. And let's not forget the "Tinder Swindler" who constantly asked for money to protect him from his enemies. 

I've come to the conclusion scammers have a sixth sense on whom they can play the long con on. They move quickly from hardcore skeptics and know what buttons to push for those who might take the bait. I would have been the former and told "Brad" to go ask George Clooney for a few bucks. 

 

One of the most enlightening realizations I've had as an adult came on the heels of reading about a lot of different cults. One of the things that cult leaders had in common, whether it was Jim Jones or Charles Manson, was they would test people's boundaries early. The people who pushed back were pushed out, but the ones who allowed it then got further boundaries tested on them until things escalated to the point that you were trapped.  

I have since observed this at work with a lot of people, including just garden-variety assholes and perverts. I have started pushing back on it hard when I see it, and it has done wonders for divesting my life of deeply unpleasant people. 

I work at a public library, and we deal with some really inappropriate people on a regular basis. Not necessarily budding cult leaders and scam artists but definitely socially maladapted people who see the library staff as a captive audience. And they all really do start out testing your boundaries at first, and I just don't even let it get started now. One of them is visibly scared of me now and immediately gets off the phone when he realizes it's me. I've told my other coworkers my methods, and the ones who've adopted them also no longer have to deal with his bullshit either. 

Edited Wednesday at 05:54 PM by Zella

[Ohiopirate02]

2 minutes ago, Zella said:

One of the most enlightening realizations I've had as an adult came on the heels of reading about a lot of different cults. One of the things that cult leaders had in common, whether it was Jim Jones or Charles Manson, was they would test people's boundaries early. The people who pushed back were pushed out, but the ones who allowed it then got further boundaries tested on them. 

I have since observed this at work with a lot of people, including just garden-variety assholes and perverts. I have started pushing back on it hard when I see it, and it has done wonders for divesting my life of deeply unpleasant people. 

I work at a public library, and we deal with some really inappropriate people on a regular basis. Not necessarily budding cult leaders and scam artists but definitely socially maladapted people who see the library staff as a captive audience. And they all really do start out testing your boundaries at first, and I just don't even let it get started now. One of them is visibly scared of me now and immediately gets off the phone when he realizes it's me. I've told my other coworkers my methods, and the ones who've adopted them also no longer have to deal with his bullshit. 

I have also noted that one of the reasons why people allow a scammer the moment needed to hook them is because they do not want to appear to be rude. I have no qualms about appearing rude. Most of the time I do not have to even push back because I'm rude and have no time for bullshit.

[Zella]

25 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I have also noted that one of the reasons why people allow a scammer the moment needed to hook them is because they do not want to appear to be rude. I have no qualms about appearing rude. Most of the time I do not have to even push back because I'm rude and have no time for bullshit.

Yes! Gavin de Becker talks about that in The Gift of Fear, which I was also reading around the same time as all the cult stuff. Predators bank on people, especially women, not wanting to appear rude. Most of my coworkers are very nice people, and they want to be kind and nice to everyone. But I have decided I do not want or need to be kind/polite to assholes. LOL With the one who won't speak to me on the phone anymore, I straight up told him I did not want compliments from him. Because really his compliments were sexual harassment. 

Edited Wednesday at 06:26 PM by Zella

[Ohiopirate02]

21 minutes ago, Zella said:

Yes! Gavin de Becker talks about that in The Gift of Fear, which I was also reading around the same time as all the cult stuff. Predators bank on people, especially women, not wanting to appear rude. Most of my coworkers are very nice people, and they want to be kind and nice to everyone. But I have decided I do not want or need to be kind/polite to assholes. LOL With the one who won't speak to me on the phone anymore, I straight up told him I did not want compliments from him. Because really his compliments were sexual harassment. 

It's not even women. I have two men on my staff and the looks on their faces whenever I remind them that they can just hang up on phone calls when it's obvious the person on the other end of the line is trying to sell us something is priceless. They are horrified that I am willing to be that rude and have given them license to do the same.

[peachmangosteen]

I mean, as women, unfortunately, it's a legit fear that you will be seriously hurt or worse if you're not nice to a man so there is that.

[AgathaC]

22 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I have also noted that one of the reasons why people allow a scammer the moment needed to hook them is because they do not want to appear to be rude. I have no qualms about appearing rude. Most of the time I do not have to even push back because I'm rude and have no time for bullshit.

I remember my dad and me having that conversation with my (very sweet, very polite and proper) elderly Southern grandma. She looked like she was almost in physical pain when we told her when it was someone she didn’t know, she needed to just hang up. Thankfully she was never scammed, but she would have been a great target.

[Dimity]

23 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I have also noted that one of the reasons why people allow a scammer the moment needed to hook them is because they do not want to appear to be rude.

I remember reading about a serial killer (I think Bundy) and one of the ways he chose his victims was that they responded to his overtures that he needed assistance in some form or another.  Women who were being nice to a stranger in other words.

[tearknee]

On 1/16/2025 at 4:53 AM, Zella said:

One of the most enlightening realizations I've had as an adult came on the heels of reading about a lot of different cults. One of the things that cult leaders had in common, whether it was Jim Jones or Charles Manson, was they would test people's boundaries early. The people who pushed back were pushed out, but the ones who allowed it then got further boundaries tested on them until things escalated to the point that you were trapped.  

I have since observed this at work with a lot of people, including just garden-variety assholes and perverts. I have started pushing back on it hard when I see it, and it has done wonders for divesting my life of deeply unpleasant people. 

I work at a public library, and we deal with some really inappropriate people on a regular basis. Not necessarily budding cult leaders and scam artists but definitely socially maladapted people who see the library staff as a captive audience. And they all really do start out testing your boundaries at first, and I just don't even let it get started now. One of them is visibly scared of me now and immediately gets off the phone when he realizes it's me. I've told my other coworkers my methods, and the ones who've adopted them also no longer have to deal with his bullshit either. 

Would you treat a woman who was just as shitty with your methods?

I would -- I didn't have Carrie White's mom. But the one i did have caused me to wish i'd had Miss Carrietta -- or Charlie McGee's -- powers.

I have life-long ... let's just say evil of this residue leaves psychic... marks.

[Trini]

 

[Blergh]

I think we could use some at least vaguely positive news so I'm going to bring up what was reported in the January 13,2025 People magazine:

Namely that Britney Spears mentioned that her younger son Jayden Federline had a brief  reunion with her on Christmas Day. I know that they've had their issues (collectively and individually) and that this alone doesn't guarantee that they'll forever have a totally positive maternal-filial bond. However, the younger Mr. Federline is now 18 and had he not wanted to at least give Miss Spears a chance to be together over the holiday he COULD have avoided it altogether (and I'm doing my best to give him the benefit of the doubt that he wasn't just trying to kiss up for funds now that he was past the age of her mandatory child support). And, maybe- just maybe, they're each on the way to learning to love (and like ) each other for who they are staying stuck in toxic ruts.  We can hope, right?