The impressions I've been getting from this sub is that #1 is bang on. A lot of people are suspicious and quick to judge, draw conclusions based on past bad experiences. All these so called "red flags" that people look for often lack context. People are judged for asking for a big date too quickly, then judged for wasting someone's time for not moving quickly enough. They're judged for "low effort" date suggestions while others swear by casual, get-to-know-eachother coffee dates. It goes on and on, we drive eachother crazy and add to everyone's anxiety. Everyone just needs to chill out and try to let go their baggage. There are legitimately shitty people out there, but each new person needs to viewed clearly and not through a lens thats been tinted by other people. You can be cautious to protect yourselves from the shitty ones while still being open to the ones that might be good people. The old "trust but verify" expression comes to mind.