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Anonymous05's avatar

Are gut feelings always accurate?

Asked by Anonymous05 (185points) December 19th, 2017 from iPhone

So long story short, there’s a guy who I have been talking to, and seeing off & on for almost a year in a half from work. There’s a lot of drama/history that happened between me, and this guy, just some problems with him using one time for money, pestering for it, until he got the answer he wanted, and me threatening cops to get it back right after I gave in & he got it, I freaked out. I don’t want to go into every detail about our history because I don’t want anyone commenting on the money situation, and it wasn’t all his fault. I could have handled the pressure differently. I shouldn’t have gave in, there’s TWO sides to every story. It was a MISTAKE. And not to mention, I told people at work behind his back, and word got out, so that’s what I did wrong.
But there is something I really need a good opinion on because it’s a serious subject, and I don’t wanna put myself in any more bad situations with this guy because honestly, I do still feel something for him, and I know I will still want to talk. Often times there’s always some reason girls stick around a guy, but they can’t seem to know the mystery to why, or they feel some type of happiness with them, or they could be just, “stuck.” And we put ourselves into these kinds of situations. And I know this subject is also complicated too sometimes, when people tell their story. It’s the subject of rape. I know it’s extreme. So i’m going to tell you why i’m bringing this subject up. I always ask close friends for opinions, just to kind of get a different prospective/outlook. From what ever I told my friends about this guy, they ALL have said they got a rapy vibe (which i’ve never heard anyone say they get that type of vibe), and they deacribed him as creepy, weird, and flakey (creepy & weird can go hand in hand with rape). Even one of our co works named Mike, has said he seems like a creep and weird. Mike has also said one time he seems f****** in the head becaue he got mad at Mike one time, then completly flipped the scripped, and acted all nice. A girl friend of mine i’ve known since second grade who doesn’t have dating expience because of religion has said she got that vibe too, she told me, “Well, if were all saying it, don’t you think we could be on point here.” A guy friend of mine told me, “What if he did the same thing he did with the money with sex (i.e pester/take advantage of). I did a research paper in English last spring on sexual assault in college, just because this topic kept coincidentally coming up this year & last year (in fall), and I read a book that stated, “If someone is pushy about other things, that’s a sign they are most likely pushy when it comes to sex,” I intsantly thought of him being pushy about the money. Another thing is mom’s ALWAYS know when something is up, it’s called mothers intuition, but they don’t really know, unless you give them a reason to. And I do know every mom worries, but my mom has EVEN brought up the subject of rape like 3 times!! I’m not sure, if i’ve heard her bring up that subject so much in one year. And the thing is, she doesn’t know i’ve been to his place, or our whole history, or that he gives my friends that vibe. Of course every mom brings up topic like these to her daughter at least once or three times, she has in my life time, the last 2 times were 5 years ago, but she’s never brought it up so much in a year. I won’t go into details, but I believe in warnings because my family is religious, so we believe in GOD, and put him into our life problems, so I do think it’s some type of warning. I have to point out me, and him have had sex in the past once because I asked, and he said, “Don’t you want it to happen a different way,” I told him no there has to be consent, and after sex he gave me a glass of water and said, “I put the date rape drug in there, so in a few seconds your gonna start to feel dizzy and pass out…........I’m kidding…, Jessica. ................ Ya know, when cops show up at a rape scene and a girl has marks on her leg, that’s usually rug burn from falling on the floor.” That’s the only part that made me feel unconfoetable, but other then that, it was just a joke, and he doesn’t do anything weird when we hang out. Sometimes he acts more distant at his place, then he did at work. Another thing is my mom had me watch a show, 13 Reasons why, with rape in it, at the end credits the cast talks about the show and one of the charecters Justin Fulley, stated that, “Ya know, most of the time guys ask all these sex questions and they think their gonna find out all the details and just go for it and it’s like, no. ... Begin it with, “She needs to say YES first.” (Which is something he did, he wanted to find out all the details when we first talked, and then he told me it was his brother texting me). Also, he seems like he wants to just go for it, eapecially since he told me in the past, “Don’t you want it to happen a different way?”
Sometimes people see things from an outside prespective that you don’t see, like friends. And I am REALLY struggling to see this, but I question it. The fact I question it, means it’s a gut. Sometimes your mind has a way of telling you things. So I know something’s up and connects to the warnings I get, and I know something is off, and doesn’t feel right, but I REALLY DON’T know, and mostly because he hasn’t asked for sex again yet, but you don’t know the future, and I know not to put it past him. I even asked my two friends from my new job, one who has met him, “Do you think he’ll even ask?” they said, “YES! You’ll find out eventually, you REALLY wanna know. Go to his place.” I told him I can’t just show up there. My mom has even warned me this year not to ever go to a guys place, but that we all have our free will, and sometimes God allows a situation, in order for you to learn, but sometimes he sends an angel to stop you from making a mistake, and how everyone has common sence. Which I find another coincedence. Also 1) This guy would kind of sneak up behind me and stand too close at work (trying to feel that a** lol) – which is a sign of a sexual predator & he flirted with a lot of girls (often times they will find victim after victim) 2) Sometimes he seems controlling, and like he has anger issues – which is another sign of abuse. Also rape is about power and control, it can be someone using violence. No one knows what he can do in the moment, or anyone for that matter, if they get mad (and if he is really f***** in the head like Mike said, that’s another thing to watch out for). I could be wrong.
Reason being I don’t underatand it is because we are on good terms again, and have talked about sex happening again, and I don’t get it because if my gut feeling, and my friends feeling is on point, then I don’t get how it’s rape because I want it to happen. He has said he wants it just to happen, if it happens (which again isn’t valid consent), but if I want it, then I don’t get how it’s rape. Then again I know giving money to a guy can manipulate your emotions, and is a bad idea, so I don’t know how to explain it, but sometimes I feel like I wouldn’t have sex with him again (mainly because I don’t want to get hurt). But maybe emotionally, I want to still talk to him and see him, and mentally I wouldn’t have sex with him again. So maybe that’s how it wouldn’t be valid.

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10 Answers

LostInParadise's avatar

You have known this guy for a while. At this point you should at least have gotten a general sense of what he is like. Is he truthful? Does he take advantage of people? Does he listen well? The gut feeling of your friends should not be dismissed out of hand, but by this time you should have more to go on.

rojo's avatar

There is a reason that you sometimes question your own actions, thoughts and ideas. You know deep in your guts that there is something wrong but are reluctant to see or admit it. As you get older you tend to follow your instincts (or gut feelings) more because you come to see through experience that they are usually correct.

marinelife's avatar

You are in such doubt about this guy. Your friends and family are telling you to watch out. Your own gut is telling you that there is something wrong.

Good guys don’t make “jokes” about date rape drugs.

You have already had trouble saying no to this guy about money. Why would you keep yourself in a possibly dangerous situation with regard to your person?

He is bad news. Stop talking to him, stop thinking about him. Get him out of your life.

Anonymous05's avatar

The question specifically was: How could it be a bad situation like that, if sometimes I want it too?

rojo's avatar

How can it be a bad situation if you want it too? Well, sometimes we get more than we bargained for or agreed to or thought what we think is exactly what the other person thinks or wants only to find out we were so badly mistaken and this may be one of those times. Your brain is working overtime to tell you that this is a bad idea, find someone else and yet your groin is saying “but I am horny” and you are more willing to follow your groin.

Consider this, God is telling you this is a mistake in so many ways but God also grants you free will. He won’t make you do it but he will let you do it. He tells you there is a Devil and that Satan will tempt you but He expects you to be the one who stands up to the temptation on your own. Does that make sense?

You have had warnings from personal experience, from your family, from your friends, from co-workers and now from complete strangers based on what you have written, all messages from the Divine and yet you are willing to follow the temptations of Satan. How many more way does God have to warn you?

Zaku's avatar

Gut feelings are always about something, and are worth paying attention to. But it can be a mistake to listen to the thinking about the gut feeling and decide it is the truth. But feelings are feelings, not ideas. The feelings are real and are about something… but what that’s all about is a different matter.

Soubresaut's avatar

“How could it be a bad situation like that, if sometimes I want it too?”

Your knowing you sometimes want something isn’t the same thing as your partner respecting your right to decide, in a specific moment, whether it’s one of those times or not.

Based on his off-the-cuff joke about date rape drugs, the way he kept pressuring you to loan him money you expressly didn’t want to until you finally gave in, and the way it sounds like he uses anger to try and force things his way (or at any rate has lousy control over his temper when things don’t go his way), he isn’t necessarily someone who will respect a “no” when it’s not what he wants to hear. (Whether he’ll try to force the issue anyway, proceed to wear down your defenses, blow up in anger, etc., I don’t know. But none of those sound like a situation I would want to find myself in. And based off your profile of him, all of those outcomes sound at least possible, if not likely.)

I’m sure there are aspects to his personality you really enjoy, and this is perhaps why you’re feeling so conflicted. To that I can only say… That will, probably, almost always be the case. He doesn’t have to be an “bad person” in every respect in order to have temper issues, and/or control issues, and/or be dismissive of others’ feelings when they differ from his own wishes.

You have to decide where your place your boundaries. Personally, I find the temper issues, control issues, and dismissiveness to be red flags. I do not want to be with a partner who can’t manage their emotions productively, or accept that things don’t always go their way, or respect the fact that I have positions that differ from theirs, etc. Especially when their reactions may put me in some kind of danger. He may have other charming qualities—in fact I’m sure he does—but for me, they would not outweigh those red flags.

Based on the fact that this issue keeps troubling you, I would guess that these are red flags for you, too. That doesn’t mean the decision to step away from this relationship might not carry some amount of pain and loss. You are emotionally close to this person to at least some extent. Maybe that’s another reason you’re feeling conflicted. But it also sounds like being with him is causing its own sorts of pain, and is causing you to compromise (again, at least to some extent,) your own sense of what is acceptable in a relationship.

Adagio's avatar

In answer to your original question: No feelings are always accurate. (I have not read the question at all.)

Kardamom's avatar

Red alert! Red alert! Red alert! Don’t ever lend money to someone who seems desperate, or who seems angry, or who has anger problems, or who manipulates people’s feelings. He’s done all of those things. Also, don’t have sex with those people, and don’t get involved emotionally with them. You had sex with him once. Don’t do that again. Not even if he asks, or begs you. Run away now!

Run away from this guy now!!! Don’t waste your time wondering about how he might be OK. He’s not. Don’t waste your time wondering if he loves you, or will ever love you. He won’t. He might become obsessed and possessive of you, but this dude doesn’t know what love, or a normal, decent, consenting relationship is.

His charm has you hypnotized. Open your eyes and run!

I’m guessing you are young. Please don’t fall into the trap of getting involved with some guy because you have a “romantic notion” of what love is, or that love should be super dramatic and painful and agonizing. Real love is none of those things. Desperation and drama are all of those things. In the end, desperation and drama get you nothing but pain and sadness, don’t fall for the tricks this guy might play with you. Run away from this dude now. He is a pathetic piece of shit. But I realize that pathetic pieces of shit sometimes seem dreamy to young women. Believe me, I know from first hand experience. Run! Run! Run!

Unless drama is the only thing you are looking for in your life, please walk, run, or drive away from this guy. Then sit yourself down and think about what is really important to you in a relationship. Here are some things to think about if you want a decent relationship, rather than one that can put you in harm’s way: kindness, compassion, shared values, shared life goals, similar interests that allow for the other person to do their thing without being criticized or judged, being loving without being jealous or clingy or judgmental or desperate or mean or having temper tantrums, or being childish.

When I say “do their thing” I do not mean that the other person should be allowed, carte blanche, to be a douche, or an asshole, or to get whatever he/she wants whenever the feeling comes over them, or to talk down to your or anyone else, or to use humor as a weapon.

You need to figure out what reasonable, acceptable behavior is, and don’t compromise that, no matter how “charming” or “attractive” a person might be.

What do you really want in a partner? Do you want to be with someone that you trust, because they have shown you that they are trustworthy? Or do you want someone who is only exciting because you have no idea what they are really like, or really capable of? I hope you realize that decent people can be exciting and interesting and passionate and fun, and that shitty people can give you the illusion (or the idea in your own mind, only) that they are interesting and full of life, but if they aren’t decent people, then you are screwed.

Just trying to save you some grief now, rather than having to learn it the hard way, by allowing yourself to get involved with some piece of shit, because that piece of shit has you conned into believing that he is awesome (he’s not). Also, you are probably not the first young woman who he has conned, and you won’t be the last.

Anonymous05's avatar

Hard way is rape or him knocking up a girl.

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