What professions give you a knee-jerk reaction to think 'scum bag' or scammer?
For me, I always had this kind of knee-jerk reaction to taxi drivers, used car salesmen, and, mostly in Bulgaria, real estate agents. In more recent times, I would add anything crypto-related to the list, too.
Car salesmen are probably the worst still I think. My uncle was importing and selling Japanese cars many moons ago, and the car salesmen he had on the lot were basically just criminals, constantly lying, stealing, and being shady af.
Doctors.
Constantly pushing unnecessary and potentially harmful procedures and pills.
Doctors probably have the highest societal respect to deservedness ratio, in the US at least. I think they've made med school so hard and expensive that it only attracts a certain personality type, and that's a type that isn't necessarily suited to caring for the wellbeing of others.
Well said. This is so true. I have some real nightmare stories about arrogant doctors giving wrong diagnoses and pretending it didn't happen. A little humility would go a long way.
i think docs will, in their minds, be justified though. Even during the opioid epidemic, im sure a lot of them convinced themselves that it was harmless pain management. the power of denial is real
Dentists
Bingo!!!! I had so many issues with dentist! When they say ohhh I think we should drill on your tooth before it becomes a problem. Has lead to me seeing the drill more times than I needed.
I call it drilling for gold!
Exactly. It took me a long time to see past that veneer of respectable competence
Yeah which has always gotten me to side with them. I would rationalize getting my mouth drilled on because I would say to myself they are the experts.
My dentist now wants to redo a crown because it might become a problem in the future. I told him I’ll think about it soon as I feel pain. Going on 3 years since he recommended this service and the tooth is doing just fine.
It's a good plan 😅
Nice play on words
😀
I'm always very suspicious about dentists. So when my dentist said I grinded my teeth and recommended a mouthguard four years ago, I ignored it. Then, a few months ago one of my teeth died because I ground it too much and had to get it extracted. sigh
I still don't trust them though
My dentist complains about his wife's gambling problem
When he found a cavity, it definitely got me wondering...
i've been lucky with my dental experience, but I can totally see how their financial incentive is to do as much work as can be billed for
This is my second option, dentists or doctors. For me, 80 or 85% are scammers, 10% work for social and family pressure (surely the family legacy). And 5% when many are the survivors. true believers of the oath of Hippocrates.
The rest follow is Hippocrita's teachings. Similar, but it is not the same.
A friend of mine had dental insurance. He went to a new dentist, who told him that he had a bunch of cavities - like 7 or something.
Instead of fixing them all at once, or at least in one or two batches, the dentist had him come 7 separate times. That way the dental insurance could be billed for the absolute maximum possible.
I also doubt that he had all the cavities that the dentist claimed.
Another story - I went to my dentist for a regular checkup (back before I was cynical enough). She said that I needed a root canal. I said, "Oh, that's the tooth you just put a filling in last year, right?" The dentist checks her records, and says, "Oh, right. You don't need a root canal". That was decades ago, and that tooth hasn't bothered me. So, clearly, she would have given me a root canal, just to benefit her bottom line.
I think the MAJORITY of dentist are scam artists.
I had wonderful dentists, to the point where I would hang out with them for coffee and give them ideas to expand their business.
I finally found a great one. Of course the majority are okay, I'm sure.
Anything HR related
It's true, HR are just snitches
Pretty much anything to do with crypto.
what, this guy doesn't look trustworthy to you?
looks like the Jeff Dahlmer of Crypto
https://media.tenor.com/rKS7xSUpO6oAAAAC/dahmer-aesthetic.gif
Has to be politicians
It's so obvious an answer I completely dismissed it, but yes. This one should be the auto-default number one spot.
hot take: I tend to blame the politicians less than I do some other professions, like journalists.
https://primaldata.s3.us-east-005.backblazeb2.com/cache/9/44/da/944dab4ef67102e40a243d3f010b036579fb99c9b33127b73aadba488c57098a.png
Insurance sales. Whoever came up with the idea of selling something as intangible as insurance, and with as many loopholes, should be in the scammer hall of fame.
Insurance contracts are designed to be confusing to the average person. They make it sound good but if you work through the math they aren't necessarily a good deal at all.
Most tech, both consumer-facing and b2b. It's all fake-it-till-make it now. In fact, we have an entire AGI industry which is that.
Influcer business hustler types are like this, and a lot of would-be tech bros.
I don’t think I agree with this. It certainly happens, but I don’t think most tech is all smoke and mirrors
🤔 I would say the technicians who repair things (phones, washing machines, computers) and car mechanics.
Here in South America, you cannot take your car to any mechanic. You end up with more breakdowns than you had when entering the workshop.
And the same goes for electronic artifacts.
If you are not a trusted or recommended technician by someone known, it is better not to go. Because you will surely end with more breakdowns or other damaged pieces that "require change."
One of the worst things about moving is losing and having to rebuild your trusted list of people and services.
Salespeople in general feel this way. I know they’re not all bad, but the bad ones ruin it for the rest
Insurance agents and property agents in my context. They may be disingenuous with the truth because their clients pad their wallets with fat commissions
yeah, then go through hell trying to get a payout
Singapore and Bulgaria are as different as night and day - but it seems that insurance agents attract the worst personalities everywhere haha
they transcend boarders lol
These and doctors are in my list.
I’d throw multi-level marketing into the mix. Friends who joined lost thousands trying to build their business and ended up selling protein shakes to each other
good call , MMLs are the scumiest, especially when people brainwash themselves and become 24/7 shills
How has nobody said chiropractors?
good point! most people still think they're totally legit
For those who don't live in Brazil, I present to you Flanelinha. He pretends to watch and guard cars parked on public roads in exchange for a
kidnapping rescuefew changes.They are
ratsvery common at large events where parking lots are full and they may place wooden boxes on the streets, reserving spaces that would otherwise be free, but which they themselves invented and charge rent on the spot. I never pay them, even knowing the risk of them damaging or denting my car.that is extremly scummy!
Insurance sales and politicians. Maybe even real-estate agents. That's my opinion on them. I could also say some happiness consultants and this sort of mental/soul/self development practitioners, but I don't want to be to harsh.
people like that, self-development practitioners, i would say are more grifters, it's the lost lamb suckers that can't help but be parted from their hard-earned cash that need educating
In my opinion, clergy is the most evil profession. Because they are respected at the highest level in society, even though they should not even be a profession. When humanity realizes that this is the biggest SCAM, we will have much more livable lives.
A few rotten apples here and there but the monetary return for their work is pretty low to motivate greed and bad behaviour, unless it's these posh religious set ups.
But it is impossible to describe the material and moral value of the damage they have caused to society. I do not reject religion. I reject clericalism.
Why is no one mentioning lawyers, yikes these guys are paid to sound smarter than you and to pull billable hours/work out of thin air.
Politicians, political commentators, financial planners, car salesmen, solar salesmen, and golfers.
Most suits and tech CEOs
YouTube influencers and contractors (home)
Door to door solar / pest control salesmen
bankers, real estate agents, lawyers.
Bankers
Bulgarian here, I was born and grew up in Germany, I noticed that "lying, stealing, and being shady af." is a Bulgarian thing and deeply rooted in this Nation. IMHO, Bulgaria should become the first EU protectorate., I mean why does it even exist? The politicians are almost all criminals, there is no justice system, no accountability, no due process in whatever you can think of, most of the people have low to no IQ. I mean give me one good reason against making it a EU protectorate...I am waiting.
I'm not a Bulgarian, but I've lived here for ten years. To protectorate or not would be a different topic, and I certainly wouldn't be the person to debate on it. As for the people, I've met some absolutely wonderful people here, and I have also met some dummies and scammers.
Call center reps for things like auto renewing subscriptions. By the time you realize you’re paying, it's late already.
Insurance sales agents especially those who guilt trip you into policies you don’t need. Feels like being strong armed into buying a product that only benefits them
Crypto influencers? Absolutely. When your financial guru is making 50 grand a month from referral links, you know something’s off
Anyone selling anything. Which is almost all "entrepreneurs"
central bankers
Used cars sales man are the worst. I’ve bought one car off a car lot in my life and it will be my last. There is always something wrong with cars and they push useless insurance on people. Next time I buy a car it will be new or a used one from an individual not a car lot.
Anyone selling "crypto" or custody/middleman solutions. Run.
The ones that tell you they have a job for you and to reach them on a whats app number
These are just straight criminal scammers tho
Tailors definitely Tailors
Wall street traders
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