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View Poll Results: How unfortunate are you? (Be honest, now)
The net is my only contact with other people, I use it at home and in the dog shed, and would use it at work if I hadn't been fired for infiltrating the company database and spamming uncontrollably. 1 4.00%
I have less than 100 hairs on my head, or have never approached a member of the opposite sex in real life. 1 4.00%
I am just bored at work, and am perfectly normal. 15 60.00%
I am hot, and have been compared to Brad Pitt or Cameron Diaz. I also have an IQ above 150. 8 32.00%
Voters: 25. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 04-07-2004, 12:22 PM   #16
russotto
Professor
 
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Early 30's, not balding, male.

I noticed the question didn't say anything about the comparison to Brad Pitt or Cameron Diaz being favorable. After all, even "You're no Brad Pitt" is a comparison :-)
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Old 04-07-2004, 12:23 PM   #17
jaguar
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Is it wierd using those online dating things?
Always struck me....odd. I donno, I like meeting people, then thinking about dating them, otherwise it seems like a shopping mall or something.
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Old 04-07-2004, 12:35 PM   #18
Undertoad
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It can be a little awkward at first, but it settles out quicker than you'd think. You don't just go meet up, you have email conversations which, if it's working, then leads to phone conversations which, if it's working, then leads to meeting in public.

It does require a bit of bravery and leap of faith. But the possible payoff is so awesome that it is worth the time and effort. The worst that can happen is you meet someone interesting.
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Old 04-07-2004, 12:40 PM   #19
lumberjim
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Quote:
Originally posted by Undertoad


You don't have to answer to us - answer to yourself, dearie, what are you going to be in 10 years? 20 years? Is it going to be a pretty picture?
UT,
Do you know this girl from somewhere else or something? Your reaction seems a little extreme. It was an akward entrance, I'd say, but since she apologized right away, I think you may be acting a little rough toward her. This only strikes me as odd because you are normally so careful of people's feelings. What am I missing?
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Old 04-07-2004, 12:40 PM   #20
jaguar
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What's the noise/signal ratio like?
If you don't mind me asking.
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Old 04-07-2004, 12:49 PM   #21
Undertoad
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Nothing harsh atall; it's just observations and a very very direct question.

Jag: I don't understand your question well enough to answer. To me, there's practically no noise in people's profiles because they are speaking directly about themselves and what they like and what they want. And then I read between the lines and get even more signal, or at least I like to think I do - so the ratio is beyond infinite.
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Old 04-07-2004, 12:55 PM   #22
jaguar
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But how easy is it to accurately gague someone from their profile and how often are those profiles misleading.
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Old 04-07-2004, 01:09 PM   #23
Undertoad
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I have in-person met three women in this way and they were all quite accurate about who they are.

I think some of the confusion comes from people not being able to read or write correctly. One woman said that some of the guys were way, way off. "Why would they assume I was a NASCAR* fan?" she asked. I figured out that the song lyrics she'd quoted in her profile were part of a song used in a few NASCAR ads. An unhappy coincidence for her but you could see why that might happen.


*NASCAR = US auto racing league
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Old 04-08-2004, 04:37 AM   #24
HappyTuesdays
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Thanks for all your comments.

Ladysycamore - I quite agree. The net is just one of many places where etiquette dictates dialogue - and ultimately meaning - by assuming certain restrictions: particulary with regard to the 'tone', or perceived intention, and whether the individual or theme adheres to existing values/preconceptions.

Undertoad - what can I say. I have no idea what I will be like in 10/20 years time, or even if I'll still be on this planet. However, I do agree with your comments, and in an era of mass-consumption where image-altering devices like make-up and plastic surgery are not only accessible but ubiquitous, is it any wonder women (and increasingly men) have been reduced to a snapshot? First impressions, we are told, take just a few seconds (as demonstrated by a few comments here...?) and people perhaps unsurprisingly feel the need to condense themselves into a 'visual soundbite', first - in order to be noticed, and second - to be appreciated.

Russotto - quite right. But they would still have to have a high IQ.

Lumberjim - thanks for the support, and isn't it funny how just a few comments on a website can affect people's feelings? Are we really that fragile that sticks and stones are finally becoming redundant in this age of information and reduction of real human contact? Personally, words affect me more than anything else, maybe because by their very nature they are laced with intent (malevolent or otherwise), and there isn't usually much room for ambiguity.

Just one thing - if there is one person here who can claim to never have been influenced by an image or first impression then I take my proverbial hat off to you. It has been claimed that we use this and other means of simplification to help us make sense of the world. So if you had to be judged on one thing - what would you like it to be?
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Old 04-08-2004, 09:54 AM   #25
limey
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Quote:
Originally posted by HappyTuesdays
[snip] .... So if you had to be judged on one thing - what would you like it to be?
Isn't that material for another thread (not a poll, I think!)?
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Old 04-08-2004, 10:06 AM   #26
Undertoad
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If I were to be judged by only one thing, I would want it to be my Cellar posts.
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Old 04-08-2004, 01:29 PM   #27
ladysycamore
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Quote:
Originally posted by HappyTuesdays
Just one thing - if there is one person here who can claim to never have been influenced by an image or first impression then I take my proverbial hat off to you. It has been claimed that we use this and other means of simplification to help us make sense of the world. So if you had to be judged on one thing - what would you like it to be?
If I *had* to be judged, I'll take a page from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's book:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

*sigh* And we're still dreaming, Dr. King...
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Old 04-08-2004, 07:30 PM   #28
xoxoxoBruce
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Quote:
Originally posted by ladysycamore


If I *had* to be judged, I'll take a page from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's book:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

*sigh* And we're still dreaming, Dr. King...
Just hope you're not judged by your choice of roommates.
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Old 04-08-2004, 07:46 PM   #29
Griff
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Quote:
Originally posted by Undertoad

The "hot" women at that age are the ones who are comfy in their own skin. Their looks or sexuality are lightly applied as a part of the whole package. The eyes are most beautiful when the lights are on and somebody's home, you know?
Well put.

39 2/3 bald, tubby, no Brad Pitt... met a person of the opposite sex once, she kept me.
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Old 04-08-2004, 11:19 PM   #30
plthijinx
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Quote:
Originally posted by lumberjim
your poll sucks.

if you want to know about people, just ask. dont give us shitty answers to choose from.
that's why i answered your hot er, uh, yeah whatever.

edit: note to self, read the entire thread first, erf.
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Last edited by plthijinx; 04-08-2004 at 11:37 PM.
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