The Answers: Why Should I be Afraid of Strangers in Rural North Carolina?

The reason why you should at least be cautious of strangers in rural NC is the same reason why you should be cautious anywhere. There is no more evil a creature, nor a creature capable of more evil than a human being. This is why the world of business, sales, exchanges of good and services is so comforting to me. There are incentives in place that protect you from complete unbridled insanity. Make no mistake, I've worked for and with plenty of nut jobs. Some people might consider me to be one of those nut jobs. You're just less likely to be abducted and killed by the guy that you have a turkey sandwich with in the break room everyday.

Out in the woods, out in the sketchy part of town at a sketchy party, there is almost no predicting what can happen. On the scale of paranoid, I fall somewhere in the middle of slightly paranoid to "Why is my toaster telling me to groom my neighbor's dog?". I am slow to trust and really quick to peace out. I don't like circumstances that mess with my gut feeling. I'll bail on almost anything if I get a bad feeling about it. Another one of my good rules is "If you feel like you're being watched, you are." Your senses are stronger than you think. My paranoia and distrust of my fellow man is much stronger. I've watched far too many crime documentaries to start buddying up with strangers and making tons of new friends on a whim. 

All this being said, I'm really considering becoming a RentAFriend. It's a real thing, believe it or not. You can be paid to be someone's friend for an afternoon. The rates range from 10-50 dollars an hour. You are usually asked to show people around town, go out drinking or go to the movies. Stuff like that. I think I might love that. Plus, I'm not really the kind of person that rapists are looking for. I'm a hairy, old bald fat guy. That's not prime rapin' material from what I've read about rapists. Plus, I'm a great friend. I can make you laugh, I'm a good conservationist and a better listener.

People find me to be really easy to trust and be around. I am not totally sure why that is but it is. I think I'd like to specialize in hanging out with old people if I go through with it. I can absorb their wisdom and they have someone to talk to. It's a win win. Plus, it's pretty hard to get raped and abducted by someone in their 80's when you're a 26 year old in his 40's.