It is a sad human fact that for every minute that some one is trying to make money and just simply survive, there are others trying to steal and forcibly take hard earned money from honest and sometimes unknowing people. The predators lurk, stalk and usually pick out the weakest of the herd before jumping into action. By the time the prey knows that an attack is taking place, it is usually too late. Much too late.
Hunting grounds
Credit card companies stalk their prey where they gather. This explains why there is an unusual amount of credit card offers and solicitations in college campuses. They know that this group of consumers are the most impulsive and least knowledgeable about personal finance. In other words, they are weakest of the herd.
At first it does not make sense to target such a high risk prey but they know that they are most likely still linked to the parents in terms of money so one way or another the credit card bills will get paid. I know many college students who called home asking for help for “emergencies” and the card issuers know this too.
Pack mentality
One tactic the credit card companies use is to recruit prey (college students) to help them attack other students. They teach them how to bait others and by the time the new victims know what is going on, they are already thrashing in the death throes of debt’s jaws. Then they carry all the wounds and this burden well into adulthood. And the predators in this stage of life have longer claws and larger teeth.
Predator and prey
The predators and their weapons are getting bigger because they see weak prey everywhere. If you happen to get one of these crazy solicitations on the mail, then it is a very disturbing sign that they see you as on of the weak ones with really bad credit scores. Basically, it means that you are that gazelle that they always show on National Geographic that does not manage to get away from the pack of hyenas.
A symbiotic relationship?
But in the wild, there are always ways for one organism to benefit from another organism. It is not impossible to try to have credit work for you. In fact, you can use it to save money or even make money.
It is just a matter of becoming as powerful an animal as the predators in order to stand up to them and take advantage of them. And this power comes from being knowledgeable about your own personal finances and being in control of all its aspects. The more knowledge and control, the more powerful you become.
And as soon as you become financially independent, then you can proclaim yourself king of the financial jungle.
(photo: zedzap)
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