Your Opinion(s) of Others

StinkyPantz

Scenario: You meet a person and like this person. All of your friends tell you to beware of the person. Do you ignore their warnings and give your all to the friendship or are you more cautious than you would have been otherwise?

or vice versa;

Due to rumors or a bad experience (nothing huge or Earth-shattering), you don't like someone; but many of your other friends LOVE this person. Do you give them another chance because your friends like him/her?

I guess what I'm basically asking is this: do your friends' opinions of others potentially play a major role in your own opinions of them, or do you prefer to let your own experiences solely (or primarily) guide your personal assessments?

**Me? Well, to be honest, my friends' opinions of someone else holds a lot of weight with me. If I am constantly warned about someone from a person that cares about me, I will be extremely cautious. I also expect my true friends to warn me. That being said, I will not dismiss someone only because my friend doesn't like them. There could've been a misunderstand, etc. Most people deserve the benefit of the doubt**

Stacy Smith

My friends opinions matter to me. They can't get me to like or dislike someone based on their opinion alone but in the past they've helped me to see clearly.

Robdar

Neither. I make up my own mind. Just because a person is my friend doesn't mean that they don't have their own agenda. My friends have been right and wrong in the past.

The one thing I wont allow is a new friend dumping on my established friends.

Stinky, if I had listened to some of my friends, I wouldn't call you "friend" today. I think I made the right decision. If not, I will sincerely apologize to my other friends for not listening to them.

Robyn

drwtsn32

Great question!! I'm having a hard time expanding on what you said in your last paragraph... it describes me perfectly!

greven

I value the opinions of my friends but do not let that prevent me from forming my own opinion. I will however be cautious when warned. Much like SP and Watson I guess.

Funny thing is, that a person I was warned about by several people turned out to be my best friend in the end.

Moral: heed warnings but do not let those cloud your own judgement.

Greven

frenchbabyface

Well I « hear what my people have to say » but my feelings about that person won’t change till something (or a hint) happens. Most of the time my first impression is good (have think about that a lot – I’ve Event thought about writing my first impression on people – but I don’t want to be affected by it … So) the problem is to remember what was my first impression (sometimes the relationship is growing very fast).

happyout

I am a woman of strong opinions, and I form my own judgements. I listen to others, but I will make the final decision. A lot would likely depend on WHY my other friends don't like someone than if they did. I don't trust people that much initially, so my normal reticence usually keeps me from getting hurt. I haven't had a friend "turn" on me or deliberately hurt me in over a decade.

Of course, becoming my friend is quite a feat, and anyone willing to put in that kind of time and effort can't be all bad

Happyout

tinkerbell82

i generally form my opinions of a person based on my own interaction with them. everyone starts out with the benefit of my total trust...sort of like when your teacher starts you out with an A at the beginning of the semester and then it's up to you to keep or lose it.

Panda

I have always got to find out for myself. This doesn't always work, but then I have no one to blame but me. Of course this doesn't mean I don't tell my friends who is or isn't friend worthy.

Surreptitious

I judge everybody by the color of their toenails.

Your Opinion(s) of Others

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