Leaving the office late, I bumped into some guy on the street. He picked his glasses up from the sidewalk, and showed me the crack in one of the lenses. Noting he didn't have insurance, he insisted I give him cash to help pay for a replacement. His manner of speech and parted eyes (strabismus) suggested he had a minor disability.

I didn't have the personality to simply brush the guy off, and I didn't have the capability to immediately verify the cause of and fix for the crack. So I gave him 30 bucks from my wallet.

Since he insisted he needed more, I walked with him to the ATM. While walking, I confirmed the amount he wanted, and noticed it changed.

At the ATM, I put the pieces together - he didn't want a consistent amount because he didn't actually pay that much for his glasses; he didn't walk with me into the ATM vestibule because he didn't want to get caught on camera. I searched it up and validated this situation a common scam.

I walked out of the vestibule without cash, and when he asked me for the cash, I played dumb, telling him I'd need my parents’ permission to withdraw cash. Then he pushed on it, and I pushed back, telling him honestly that I didn't think I broke his glasses. He mumbled and walked away, confirming I had just gotten lightly scammed.

Well, at least I had the personality and the capability to avoid getting heavily scammed. And I paid the stupidity tax, or the optimism charge, some fee to feel like a good enough person.