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Character and skydiving

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I don't think this is worthy of a poll, but curious as to how skydivers approach other skydivers for the first or second time. Are they worthy of your trust? Would you give them the keys to your house? Allow an old skydiver to date your young skydiver daughter?
Are skydivers more or less honest/honorable with each other than with "others" (non-skydiving public)?

After reading about Tim's gear loss and people stepping up, I'd say they're more honorable and protective of their own.
Other experiences point me in the other direction.
BTW, does anyone have a spare L&B USB cable for an Altitrack? Mine went walking at our DZ.

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I don't think this is worthy of a poll, but curious as to how skydivers approach other skydivers for the first or second time. Are they worthy of your trust? Would you give them the keys to your house?


They used to be.
The sport has gone "mainstream" so a mainstream crowd has now populated the sport.
There are a lot of jumpers on this board that have bunked at my home....and were still sleeping when I went to work. I doubt I would be that trusting nowadays with a newer crowd.



bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

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Keys to my house?

A Selectfew have that amount of trust. I do believe I would give em to MOSTof the people atmy DZ but I wouldn't give em to any random jumper.

I DO believe that 99%ofjumpers at my DZ are so trustworthy to have a key to my house if I needed them to stop by for soem reason but I don't make a habit of that.

Don't have any kids.
But there are a few jumpers that I wouldn't let near the DZ pets, nevermind a daughter.:D
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LOL. Likewise.

There used to be an open invitation to any DZ.commer at my place but that was when there were 70 people posting and I knew them all well enough.


Now, It's only open to people who know they don't have to ask.:D;)
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To me, I give a jumper no more or less trust than anyone else that I encounter.



On the surface, I take the same approach, however, jumpers generally come with "references" (for lack of a better term). It's a small enough community that it is more likely that someone I know and trust can give me an indication whether I should trust the person in question. If they come without such knowledge, they don't get any more or less trust than a person on the street just because they are a skydiver.

I trust my gut instincts and I can be somewhat cautious about the people that I *really* let into my life. If my gut says "keep this person at arms' length," I will, skydiver or not.

As for the keys to my house - there's two that aren't in my posession. One is with my cleaning guy and the other is with a couple I've known for 10 years; I have a key to their house, too. Guests get use of one when they're staying with me, but I get it back at the end of the visit.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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Among the skydiving population, there are theives, rapists, and even accused murderers.

Of course, there are also some of my closest friends, and biggest heros.

Take each person just as you would otherwise. Allow them to earn your trust, or dismiss them as appropriate. Approach each person as a neutral.

_Am
__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

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I tend to meet each person on a middle ground. I have all my life. My house was the one were if you in the military and were stuck at the end of the day for a place to stay, the door was open. I often got up in the morning and found six or seven coast guard men sleeping on the floor or coach in the living room and dining room. I remember my dad stepping over bodies to go to work, leaving my mom, sister and myself alone with these wonderful men.

Today, I am not as open to having strangers in my home but there are at least a dozen people with keys to my house. It was funny when I got married and my husband came into the bedroom to say that there was a strange man in my kitchen cooking pasta sauce. The look on his face was priceless.

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I don't trust them from the start any more than the next Joe on the street.

I have found that you build trust and friendship at an exponential rate, compared to what you experince when your plugged back into the matrix. :ph34r: But it isn't there automatically because you have a rig strapped on your back.
"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

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Allow an old skydiver to date your young skydiver daughter?



Been talking to my wife's father?



Yes, and there is a problem! ;)
"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP

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...someone I know and trust can give me an indication whether I should trust the person in question.
..If my gut says "keep this person at arms' length," I will, skydiver or not.



Oh...NOW I get it....so who's been talkin' shit about me?
[:/]




[:/]
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

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I'm open either way...it's just that I'm rather reserved so really, I offer a degree of trust until thay prove themselves unworthy.

On a side note, since I live at the DZ, EVERYONE is welcome at my house!
:D:D:D


...Uh...well, nearly everyone, anyway.
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

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I'm new to the sport but so far, many of the jumpers and instructors I have met at my local dz have a hell of alot more integrity and trustworthiness than the rest of society.

With me, trust and respect still have to be earned regardless of occupation, experience, and rank.
_________________________________________
trance/house mixes for download:
www.djmattm.com

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So, I guess nobody has a spare L&B USB cable...

;)

If I were you, I wouldn't trust anyone (skydiver or not) with a daughter, but yours seems pretty savvy, so I think she can probably take care of herself. B|

In general, though, I would feel completely comfortable leaving my most valued possession (3 guesses, 1st two don't count!) with fellow skydivers & not so much with non-skydiver acquaintences. I am a trusting soul, until proven otherwise, but that may require more trust than I'm prepared to impart in certain company...

Kim
Watch as I attempt, with no slight of hand, to apply logic and reason.

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I afford everyone a level of trust, up until some thing makes me change my mind. Even the worst thief in the world has my trust at 1st
,
You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

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I afford everyone a level of trust, up until some thing makes me change my mind. Even the worst thief in the world has my trust at 1st
,



Same here...which is what prompted me to ask the question. Socially, the DZ is my most-appreciated place, but observing the behavior of a couple people has had me wondering how most people view less than honorable situations, particularly when it's an employee of the DZ. Recent occurences have had my "bullshit" radar up significantly, and I've noticed it has affected my normal conversations with others.
I believe the best conclusion was one offered earlier in this thread; "just because they're wearing a rig doesn't entitle them anything more or less regarding trust than they'd get anywhere else."

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]

Same here...which is what prompted me to ask the question. Socially, the DZ is my most-appreciated place, but observing the behavior of a couple people has had me wondering how most people view less than honorable situations

Trying not to make this a "back in the day" post.
When I first started jumping....you could leave gear, your kitbag...personal belongings lieing around the DZ. The most that would happen is that someone would move them if you left them after closing or the weather got bad.
I dont ever recall hearing about thefts at the DZ until maybe the last decade.
Its a shame.


bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

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I do leave my gear/gear box at the DZ 24/7. Not so much worried about stuff walking away from staff, but from tandems...yes. I had a cable for my cam charger walk off, and my L&B cable for my Altitrack walked off. One other camera guy lost his charger too. Outside of that, theft is pretty minimal.
Overall, my question went to issues of honor, and that doesn't necessarily equate with theft, it's more about honesty, trust, and integrity. Dishonest, untrustworthy, and disintegrous people don't necessarily steal.

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Overall, my question went to issues of honor, and that doesn't necessarily equate with theft, it's more about honesty, trust, and integrity. Dishonest, untrustworthy, and disintegrous people don't necessarily steal.



I can say from past experience that there will always be the 5-10% in any organization who behave in a dishonorable manner. For a good example, during my time with 2nd Bn, 5th Marines..the men and women of the Marine Corps were to uphold the core values of honor, courage and commitment and never lie, cheat and steal. While many of the men I served with lived up to that, you had the few that weren't with the program and lacked integrity.

Since I got out of the military, and from my observation and time at Skydive Houston (havent spent anytime at other DZs); skydivers are the first civillian group I've come across that has a similar code of ethics and integrity as well as people actually stepping up and looking out for others. Its not to say there aren't a few skydivers who aren't trustworthy...but comparable to the general whuffo/civillian population they have alot more credibility with me.

0.02
_________________________________________
trance/house mixes for download:
www.djmattm.com

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