Your society may see you as a paragon of virtue.

Your profession may set you out to be a role model beyond peer.

Your relationship style may make you seem to be a trustworthy individual.

And if those areas of life (and others) are the result of conformity, tradition, and authority, then I will never trust you at first.

This doesn’t mean nonconforming, nontraditional, and liberal-seeming abusers get a free pass with me. They don’t.

It just means that I don’t automatically trust people that enter areas of life where they’re given unfettered access and influence over vulnerable individuals. That means people who can’t really say no to you, even if some of those people might deserve some sort of correction or oversight.

Parents, police and parole officers, child-care workers, judges, religious authority figures, cult leaders, wardens, prison guards, military members, and the like are automatically on my do-not-befriend and do-not-date lists.

Yeah, if you’re on my list and offended by this, I’m sure you’re the exception to the rule.

Oh, wait a minute. I can’t be sure of that, which is why the rule exists in the first place.

I’m sure those exceptions exist. I’m just not sure I’ll find them until after I’ve been taken advantage of by the scam artists in your ranks.

If I’ve granted you an exemption, trust me, I will have thoroughly vetted you and your past to ensure you’re not a hypocritical manipulator with skeletons bursting out of your closet.

Don’t be offended by my rule (not that you honestly give a shit). I’m sure some of you provide a valuable service to society. Just give me a pass in the friendship and fucking department. We wouldn’t be any good for each other, anyway.

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled diversions.