OK... we're all professionals here. For the most part hehe. We earn our livings and have all enjoyed varying degrees of success at any number of different professional ventures.

I was shooting the shit with a friend/business associate of mine. Non-adult business associate dating back to before I got in to the adult industry and did government/security consultant stuff. This friend/business associate owns his own company and does pretty well for himself. Dealing with dollar amounts that just leave me shaking my head in disbelief. He's pretty successful but lives very modestly and he puts just about every dollar he makes back in to his business.

I've done ok for myself as well, though hardly what I'd call "rich" by any means at all. Nowhere near it. I'm just comfortable within my means. I make what I need and spend nothing, so am able to treat myself to special things when I want them because I'm a cheap bastard day to day. And continue to do some consulting in a field totally unrelated to adult internet or my main job today that makes for a decent little bit of extra funds here and there that I squirrel away in the bank like a miser.

We got to talking about how our professional successes and lifestyles seemed to give off this impression to others that we were:

1. Rich
2. Eager to give away money

Just the other day, I had a friend ask me if I would buy him round trip airfare because he wanted to fly off to the East Coast for someone's birthday party. I've had acquantances ask if I would make a downpayment on a car for them. Or cosign a credit card for them. Or pay off their credit card debt or student loans. Some of these people were people I'd only met a couple of times and didn't even know that well but all of a sudden come out of nowhere to ask me for lots of money.

He was telling me about how just tonight he had someone he's only met twice ask to borrow $5000. And has also had people he knew to varying degrees ask for thousands of dollars, help buying new cars and stuff like that. He recently bought a house and had someone ask if they could live in it for free. As if he doesn't have a mortgage to pay on the damn thing!

What is up with that?! Do we just know all the wrong people? Do you guys get this too?

I'm not talking about a business contact asking if you could wait an extra week before they paid you for some service rendered or a good friend you know and trust asking for a little help.

I have several friends who I know and trust well enough that if they ever asked me for any help, I'd surely give it to them. I'd not even demand they pay me back, though know them well enough to know they would make an effort to regardless. There have been close friends for whom I've taken on considerable burden to help out because we are extremely close friends and I know they'd do the same for me.

But these are random acquantances or people we don't know that well asking for these things. Guys we've met a couple times. Guys we've met through mutual friends and don't even know that well. Guys we went out on a couple dates with (this business acquantance of mine is gay too).

How is it that someone I've met twice through other people and don't even know that well could possibly think I'd want to make a 5k downpayment on a new car for them?! Where on earth does the belief come about that is the least bit reasonable of a request to make of me?! What... the fuck?!

Do you guys get this too?