I am no stranger to Online dating. In fact, neither is my mom, who up until I left for college in ‘97 had never ever used a computer. Now she emails me rather than calling on the phone. (Hi mom).

Online dating allows for several key elements to take place:

1. If you’re fairly busy in your own life and don’t have the time to go out every night and meet a potential mate; it allows for ease of dating. Now in reality you can pick up a potential mate anywhere: grocery store, video store, dog park, porn shop… but lets face it, some of us just aren’t that lucky. (I actually met one of my girlfriends on an airplane once)

2. Online dating allows for screening of potential candidates. What do you mean by screening you ask? I mean we are able, through email, to question them. To question their motives, their past and while it may not be truthful, it at least allows you to formulate an opinion about if you’d like to meet that person.

Online dating has shown us a different view of dating in general. A bi-product of this is that it has opened up easy access to someone’s skeleton closet in ways not available in normal social circles. Meaning, its easier online to ask someone if they are a freaking loony than it is in person (for some people). And that said, its easier for someone online to be more forward and upfront about all sorts of things that they would in real life - (face to face) - have had reservations about.

MJ and I have come to the premise that about 75% of the women both of us have met through online means are complete nutters, or mental cases. The other 25% Have children and are just fine. Now how did we come to this conclusion? Personal experience. Or you cold call it in the name of science. We’ve gone out with a lot of women through various online dating places, and a lot of them have had really serious issues, things that had we met in person, chances are those things may not have come up until much much later in the dating process.

MJ would argue that meeting someone in person is preferable because people who use the online dating are using it as a last resort. While he could be right, I don’t see it as a last resort and MJ himself has used it from time to time as well and certainly not as a last resort. Both of us through out our dating have dated women we’ve met first in person and online and I personally venture that the same percentage of them have the exact same problems.

Case in point, after I had broken up with my x-fiance I had dated around. I happened on a party where a very attractive law student made it clear to me that she wanted to be romantically involved. Now at first she was perfectly normal, but after a bit things started to turn a might strange and come to find out she was bi-polar. MJ, much later on met a girl who was attractive, who also worked at the local video store. Now he’ll hate me for this but the man has a knack for attracting women with kids (a deal breaker for me usually). Turns out that she did indeed have a kid, and they started dating. Low-and behold what happened? She turned up bi-polar.

Somewhere between the law student and the video girl, MJ met a fairly attractive model online - they dated a few times but he quickly came to the opinion that she herself was a complete nutter as well. So what we are seeing here is a pattern. Either A, MJ and I have really bad luck with women lately - which could be part of the problem. B the Austin Dating community is flooded with nutters. Or C - our first premise was right, but along with my premise - that most women in general have issues online or in person.

Now wait. Don’t get on the defensive. The same could be argued for men. I am just stating an opinion based on our scientific data collected. You fruity people you.

Some people choose to overlook the discrepancies with those women, but to us, mental issues are just things that can’t be overlooked. I want someone that can respect my space, ie doesn’t need to be around me 24/7 and who doesn’t get jealous at the drop of the hat. Not only that, she needs to have her own friends and entertainment.

I’m getting off track here. Maybe its just the dating scene in Austin, but to me it seems like everyone is a victim, and there is always something to blame for why they are like the way they are. But in all seriousness, where are the women who are just normal, no screwed up issues, no wacked jealous x’s that stalk them, no kids?

If Austin touts itself as the singles capitol of the world, I think its true, cause we keep passing around the same nutters and coming to the same conclusion. Now there are those of us who have been fortunate to find and latch onto another sane person and make their way through relationship hell. Many of them have come and asked me my advice. Like “how do you make it last when you can’t meet on common ground on certain things?” or “Shes a liberal and I’m a conservative…” Well that’s something I think I’ll save for another day.

Now taking all of the above into account I will say that I did happen to go out with an attractive female over the weekend and the date went well - no skeletons (yet) no children, and not popping pills right and left.

So I’ve got that going for me…

Which is nice.

Posted in General |

This entry was posted on Monday, August 15th, 2005 at 8:00 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.