I don’t think there is anything wrong with giving people the benefit of the doubt.
Who cares what they look like or what kind of pram they’re pushing or what kind of hat they’ve got on. It makes no difference whatsoever to what this person could potentially bring to the situation…a joke that’s funny, a reassuring look, something you’ve never heard before, a learning experience, even a smile!
Sometimes though, the philosophy of affording someone the benefit of the doubt backfires. Its not because they’ve worn inappropriate clothing or because their joke wasn’t funny, its because what they’ve said means nothing. Pure regurgitation of something they heard from their regurgitating friends or read on someones blog or on the news.
It means nothing. No insight, no personality, no meaningful contribution to anything. Just two dimensions of in [no process] and out.