Trust is a big issue these days, it always has been.
There was a time when I would be trusting of people until they proved otherwise.
I think that with the advent of the internet and the security issues inherent in online information, banking, shopping or for that matter dating.

We have perhaps become more xenophobic as a self protection measure.
The path to trust has become longer and longer. And the distance between people greater as a result. And not just online. All someone has to do is make off with that little book that you keep all your nonsensical passwords in and you are ruined.

Does anyone else hate having to be this way? But what else can you do?

I think habitual xenophobia is undermining community spirit to a degree. It's not so good when it comes to dating either :)

Any thoughts?

I am not prejudice, I have a lack of trust in everyone until they prove a reason to be trusted.

Hmmm, trust is like love, you can never quite pinpoint the reasons for it.
But it would seem to me that proximity does play a part.
Or should.

Trust comes to me automatically.
I always have to fight it and get real ;-)

I agree with you Steve, it has become a big issue. Especially online... understandably so.

I don't hate having to be this way because I'm not that way. I, like you, would trust people until they proved otherwise... and I still do when it comes to people in the face to face world.

Online... I don't have a fear of trusting, it's more being smart. I know that there are people out there that could and will steal your identity and your assets if given the chance, so when it comes to personal info I protect it. It's sad and I don't like that people do that, but I'm not afraid to trust people because of it.

Why is it that two of you guys, Steve and River, seem to understand being less trusting online but it seems everyone in my message box seem to expect me to be more trusting?

I'll admit to Zenaphobia.
A fear of sword wielding women.


But, i generally don't care
where anyone is from.

I think Lorena Bobbit justified that fear a long time ago.

I'm not so worried about things. I'm a very trusting person by nature. I tend to trust until proven wrong and even then I find it difficult to withdraw.
I do rely on my intuition a lot, combined with common sense of course.
Stealing my passwords won't ruin me. I don't see how?
Won't get them into my bank either.
In the past it was different I guess. Stealing your bank book and your money could be gone. I don't recall having to identify to get money out of the bank with it as in those days it wasn't common -nor mandatory- to have an ID.
It would be annoying to have to start a new FB, haha. And Wordpress and so on. But ruin me it would not. Just annoying as bleep, yes.

I did have to learn to have slightly better filters for whom I trust as I really trust very easily. But I doubt internet etc. has anything to do with that.

The fear of a diffrent human race, ie somebody or something unknown? Usually a gateway to racism. I speak from my own experience.

There is good and bad people everywhere. Fact.

Maybe it's just me then :)

With a victimization complex.:)Or something.

I worked in IT a little. And the more you know about what goes on the smarter you feel you have to be.
For example recently some thousands of medical records and information were hacked from the NHS in uk. The NHS were still running XP for petes sake..
It came to light that it wasn't just the NHS that were running antiquated hardware and operating systems, the problem was throughout government organizations.
Maybe I should have called the topic (((paranoia ))) :)

No, I don't think it's just you. I think maybe your topic is being misunderstood, at least by me. When it comes to people who come into my life, I trust them automatically... it comes natural.

When it comes to business I do online, I am going to protect my info from possible hackers or scam artists. The stuff that happens through internet crime doesn't make me less weary of trusting people. But it does make me a little more proactive in protecting my assets from criminals.

I don't really put much thought into it though because I don't really have many assets so I seriously doubt I would be a target. Though it could happen to anyone regardless of what they have or don't have.

Are you talking more about trusting people you know, or is this more about trusting organizations and putting your stuff online while conducting business?

Topic: Xenophobia

Xenophobia definition is - fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign.

Does this mean that you fear and hate anyone that doesn't look like you? or speak with a different accent? or wear a jihab and/or turban?

Isn't this racism? What does it have to do with trust?

I'm disappointed with others' reply about xenophobia being lack of trust. It is fear and hatred of strangers and foreigners!

Wake up people!

Thanks rosie, I didn't look up xenophobia to see what the definition is. I was commenting on Steve's first post and just assumed xenophobia was the fear to trust.

I google words I don't understand, River. So imagine my surprise when some replies to OP's thread went along with him going on and on about trust. Larsi seemed to get it the correct meaning.

I'm relieved to know that you didn't know what xenophobia means. Thank you for not hating or fearing foreigners at first sight.

Thank you my friend

I usually do too, not sure why I didn't this time. And no, I don't hate anyone actually. I sometimes hate people's behavior, but not the person and certainly not because of differences in cultures.

I'm pretty sure Steve just used the wrong word. It clearly doesn't fit what he was discussing.

Have a wonderful night my friend

Goodnight River

Trust comes in at different levels in my opinion, you certainly would not trust everyone with your life, but you might trust most people to turn up for a date they had agreed to. I don't think that has changed so much with the internet, but I do agree that the levels of trust we once had in most things is now at a much lower level. When I receive a phone call at home from a company and they request me to press 1 to be transferred for some reason or another I hang up, for fear of finding I am calling to some high priced telephone number scam, and I never return calls to unknown numbers for the same reason. I have a lot less trust in the systems within society than before the internet age, criminal fraud activity seems at higher levels.

I Googled it too and was also surprised by its meaning as it didn't seem to match the OP. I just reacted to what he was on about and ignored the word.

I think OP just confused hatred and mistrust.

It's probably more to do with most people not really knowing how it all works. It's like that in any profession. When a patient, you don't know what goes no behind the screens, all the things that have to happen to make it work. Nor does the patient care. Medical personnel does know of course and usually make lousy patients as they know too much, hihi.
Like a tourist in a resort isn't aware of the goings on behind the screens, nor does he care. He's on holiday after all.

With IT / internet most people know about hacks and stuff, but they don't really know.
And to be honest, I don't really care either. I probably would when I'm affected personally, don't know.
I had to sign this official form when I switched dentist that had to do with privacy and safe-guarding my data. Me thinking who bleeping cares?! I'm not fussy about strangers knowing about my teeth, haha, who'd care? Just sign me over, dammit!

I am more concerned that so much is on the net, or accessible by it, like military things, and I believe things like our water supply, safety of nuclear plants and so on.
We'll get our national monthly alert via SMS (text) only from next year onward. But what if there's a disaster that renders internet / phones useless? Then we won't get alerts. I'm for keeping the mechanical ones we've used for donkey years.
But I'm not thinking about such things too much as I've noticed it gets you from a higher vibration in a low one, the one of fear.