Well, the one thing that has served me well with people, is sitting back and accessing those individuals, whom ever they may be. It may appear that I'm a quiet person at first, but it's important for me to size up a person first, before giving or getting any opinions. I have found that if you let a person "set themselves up" that person will show there true nature. My experience with others that I have been in contact with while traveling throughout the States and Canada help out immensely. I have found people are people, you will find a certain individual and ultimately in another part of the country, the same mentality of that person will be found.
When you have people who have experiences like this, sometimes it is wise to head there thoughts. But one important thing to remember, is the situation in which you are involved with that person. Some situations warrant more caution than others.