On May 23, 8:19*am, BP killed my turtle
wrote:
On May 22, 9:13*pm, aquachimp
wrote:
snippy


Cautiously succinctly expressed. But easier said than done.

Put it this way, *I popped along here into Usenet Street *and in
posting this thread I have in effect approached everybody. What's
more, though not Greek, I did so bearing the Gifts of information and
opportunity/excuse to converse.

Not everyone has avoided me.

A holiday, such as what I've just had, is a feast of freedom and
borrowing the phrase "we are what we eat" feasting of freedom lends us
to living more freely and, I suspect, even free from a conscious sense
of freedom. So when approached, as we were, the under current sense of
freedom expressed itself *thus, like someone whispering in your ear
saying... ooh go on, listen, check it out, you'll be doing him a
favour, you're free to walk away any time you want.

Trouble is, the same undercurrent, which is the real Trojan Horse at
work here expresses itself in the same way as each greater step of
risk is encountered. And that's why I think (though making it up as I
go along) is why some people get duped, other than those who are
tortured into it through tedium, hunger, thirst or as one couple I've
since read about, the woman was diabetic, became ill as a consequence
of all the missed meal delays, but the scammers still wouldn't let
them go until the husband signed on the dotted line.

going on holiday is no excuse for unplugging your brain....

I'm not sure what you're saying with that generalisation.

If you're in Greece and get approached by someone speaking Dutch,
asking if perhaps you are Dutch, but you're not and don't speak a word
of it and subsequently haven't understood a word... the fact that you
simply continue on your way with hardly a shrug does not amount to
evidence *that you've kept your brain plugged in.

Equally, if,say you're English and get approached my someone with a
British accent enquiring if you're English, running away like your
scared of your own shadow doesn't mean your brain is plugged in any
more than taking a moment to engage in line with all the traditions of
your upbringing means you've unplugged your brain.

would you have done this in your own country ?

Hmm, I'm unsure what you mean by my "own country"
For me, the trickiest question are always "What's your name?" and
"where are you from?"

This is because I was born in one country then almost immediately
thereafter primarily raised in another, within an entirely different
continent, where, due to language and cultural reasons, how I was
referred to, in terms of pronunciation and spelling, differs from
anywhere else, but remained in use within my family for many years
even after departure. And then I lived in two other countries where
my "name" regardless and inclusive of officialdom was not my actual
"given name", One country of which country represents the longest
uninterrupted period of residence so far, though less then the total
amount of years living elsewhere (s) And I am now in yet another
country . Thus far it is yet the shorted period of residence, but my
name is, for the first time ever, my "given" name regardless of the
now 2 "new" languages involved, but though I now live in Belgium,
apart from not been a Belgian citizen, I am not "from" Belgium in the
ordinarily understood sense.

However to try and answer you question, if someone, a complete
stranger to me, approached me speaking in English, the novelty factor
alone would get my attention before any thoughts as to whether this
person is a "foreigner" in some sort of difficulty that I might be
able to help out with.

If, on the other hand, he is adorned with some sort of photo-inclusive
official identification such as pertaining to a licence to operate on
behalf of a British, Irish, or American tourism organisation, along
with wearing said groups clothing markers, and then presents further
proof of both personal and official I.D, then yes, I'd stop to give
him the time of day. At least up to the point when there might be a
request for "free" money. If that occurs, I'll assume the whole thing
is a fake as I do when presented with "natives" in the same "official,-
could-have-printed-it-at-home" garb and I.D. adornments and carrying
and equally fashioned collection tin.

But alas, I wouldn't be in a "I've got all the time in the world"
situation, so I wouldn't have been in a position to either help him
out further by way of entertaining myself by participating in a "lets
see what happens" / "blind" adventure.

So it would be time restrictions, schedule and commitments rather
than wariness, or having my brain "plugged in" that would be the
initial and therefore final deciding factor.

But to return to your "going on holiday is no excuse for unplugging
your brain",

There you present a generality that pretty much no-one would question
let alone disagree with, would you say that everyone who so
unquestioningly accepts it has demonstrated that they have unplugged
their brain on the excuse of "well, it's obvious, innit".