Beware the oldest trick in the book...

...it is simple, you begin by building trust and then use that trust to your own advantage at the expense of those who entrusted you. You extend the usefulness of the trust by using underhand tactics to obfuscate your betrayal. Lying and denying can cause confusion and distraction whilst the abuse continues.

The trust might initially be earned, perhaps with handouts and support....the cost of which is miniscule in comparison to the rewards that endowed power can pillage. Done correctly, the misplaced loyalty of a supporter can create an effective buffer.

The trouble is, good people care about justice, right and wrong, innocence. They are hesitant to allocate blame and are less comfortableb talking in absolutes. The corrupt have no such limitations.

Politicians and bankers have been using the oldest trick in the book to great effect, forever. It is extremely profitable to abuse trust, especially if the mark remains unaware.

In the case of the Steem economy and all the tools we use to communicate with it and across it, most of the abuse comes in the form of attempts to gain unfair or unearned access to the Steem reward pool. The reward pool comes from inflation that we all pay for via an increase in the amount of Steem in the world. It is incredibly precious. We can all take a hand in distributing it and we must all ensure we get value in return.

So please, beware of those playing trust games for their own advantage. Don't allow yourself to be the mark, don't sell your power and the integrity of our network for pennies, the occasional handout or a pat on the head. Your power has immense value to you and everyone else here. The compensation for your integrity, should you desire it will come and when it arrives, you'll know about it, we all will.

If you spot what you think is the abuse of trust, look into it. Ask reasonable questions. Seek a second or third opinion. If you do not get reasonable responses and you think something is wrong, withdraw your support, your votes, your autovotes, your attention, your resteems. A culture of quietly insistent accountability will, in the end, serve us all....even those who are corrupt :)

It is not difficult to ensure a high degree of transparency and accountability on the Steemchain. We must use this attribute to our advantage and close the door firmly yet politely on those who would exploit our trust.

I am currently delegating the majority of my Steem Power to The Minnows Support Project. I will try my best to ensure my SP is used responsibly. I believe in the integrity of @aggroed and with his help, this project will do exactly what it says and that is all. We will be vigilant and any abuse that is noticed will be dealt with immediately.

Let's keep the fun but keep it real too!

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Happy Steeming