Why Did I Refuse This Random Act of Kindness?

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

Or if Helen had taken the drink maybe something bad might have happened. So in the grand scheme of things, she totally did the right thing. What if she had taken the drink and got diarreah? It would be a vastly different thread.

It would only be different if the diarrhea was somehow caused by who paid for it.

The leading with the personal questions things is such a standard sales trick that I would just immediately shut down on the person no matter their ultimate intent. If you start with "what kind of car do you drive," "do you go to basketball games," "are you registered to vote in California," "what kind of coffee will you be having" are all immediate signs to me that the person wants something from me so I have no problem with shutting them down and then tuning them out.