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April 23, 2007
The Match Game
The match game: sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, other times it's a draw. Some folks have the lofty goal of meeting a soul mate, while others take dating quantity over quality. Nowadays, the game isn't the same somehow. We seem no longer to accept spending much time on meeting anyone. We aren't desperate, just selective with hectic schedules supposedly.
I think in my mind, it's simply a way for people to meet in a less tension-filled situation. It's a new form of blind dates, a revolution of sorts allowing someone not to go in so blind. Even other meetings places, such as parties, or singles bars, don't provide the ideal context to get to know someone first before going on a date.
Too many people thrive on attention in social situations, while others, such as me, seem aloof, or insecure when surrounded by strangers. Ideally, a relationship is more about one-on-one, or intimacy with a few select friends, rather than non-stop clubbing, or cocktail-filled soirees with beautiful people. At least, that is, my version of a meaningful romance.
However, I'm finding that many users of web personals are unable to cut through the claptrap, the self-aggrandizing people who write only about themselves. On the other hand, maybe they're just too lazy to ask even the simplest questions that usually expose the ego versus reality haze. More and more sites, offer elitist ways to meet single rich men, or supermodel babes.
Daniela Flores of AP reports (03/21/07) on a new site called Hot Enough, which only allows new subscribers to join after they receive a rating of at least eight from existing members on a preliminary photo they submit. According to cofounder Jason Pellegrino, other websites had too many unattractive profiles for his taste. He rates apparently 8.2, although he considers himself merely a 7.5.
Is it an offensive concept? I find it mostly laughable. The members mentioned in the article have successful careers and all seem to go the gym three to five times a week. They simply don't have the time to meet someone in ways more conventional. You can't help but feel sorry for the social isolation that making money and maintaining one's looks causes. Oh, the humanity, as potentially ideal mates have time to work 80-hour weeks, time for the gym but no time for dates.
I mean an actual romance, marriage, or family is surely going to fit well between circuit training and long office hours. It seems justified to try picking love interests like mail order brides minus the language barrier. I'd admit sour grapes, however looking at Jason Pellegrino's photo, I'm apparently an eight who thinks he's seven, while surrounded by a plethora of nines.
Posted by Will at April 23, 2007 2:59 AM
