# How do you spot a freeloader?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-spot-a-freeloader/640820>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 12, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-spot-a-freeloader/640820 "2012-11-12T20:43:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-spot-a-freeloader/640820/61 "2012-11-29T08:17:56Z")

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> [@AnaMen](#):
>
> When I say “your way,” I am referring to the fact that many of your listed “warning signs” of potential freeloaders seem to relate only to the conditions that indicate that the person may be in NEED of help, not to the fact that they will take advantage of the person who tries to help them. Yes, many of the people in need of help will end up taking advantage, but if there’s no way to figure out which ones in advance, I’ll just take my chances, rather than assume everyone that is homeless/penniless/supportless would screw me over given the chance. Identifying needy people and avoiding them is not the issue. At all.

Curses! Just when I thought that I could make you stop caring about people!

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-spot-a-freeloader/640820/62 "2012-11-29T10:20:12Z")

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So, you want him to do things your way but without explaining them. Gotcha.

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**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-spot-a-freeloader/640820/63 "2012-11-29T16:41:11Z")

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> [@Nava](#):
>
> So, you want him to do things your way but without explaining them. Gotcha.

It’s not a question of “my way” or “his way,” it’s about doing things at all. I have told him he is not doing his share of stuff. I have cited examples of the stuff he is not doing. I don’t expect anyone to be a mind-reader and it’s not an issue of him leaving streaks on the mirror or failing to vacuum behind the couch properly. He does occasionally do some work, like mowing/scalping the lawn or butchering my trees in a poorly executed attempt to trim them. I recognize that such efforts are well-intentioned, and I do not complain about the results. Three people live in this house, so jobs no one here likes should not fall to one person just because they are “good” at them. He doesn’t do the jobs because he is lazy and lacks a sense of personal responsibility, not because he is not psychic.

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