Thursday 4 June, 2009Online Daters

When I first heard about online dating a few years ago, it was just in its infancy and so of course, there were a great many comments, both positive and negative, to be made about it. Now, years later, there still are.

What exactly is an online dater? It’s someone who has centered their focus on meeting someone through the internet. There are even people who have given up trying to meet someone in any other venue.

Who is the online dater? The online dater is the man in front of you or behind you in the grocery checkout line, no matter what his age is. He’s the man who just cut you off to get to the traffic light ahead of you, he’s the loudmouth at the bar, he’s the idiot standing behind you at motor vehicle. He’s the more mature man who just held the door open for you, he’s the guy who delivers water or packages at your office, he’s the man who smiled at you after you accidentally cut him off.  He’s the man pouring your coffee or changing your tires or washing his clothes in the local Laundromat. He could be your neighbor, your colleague, your boss, your brother, your best friend, your nephew, your son or even your husband.

Online daters-the men-are everywhere. And they are single, married, involved,   depressed, interested, anxious, lonely, confident, overbearing, quiet, active, lazy, generous, stingy, easily angered, comfortably laid back...as well as being fit, fat or in between; bald, hairy, hairless, readers, non readers, sport fans, mama boys, short, tall, unattractive, cute, nice, dull…it goes on and on.

Who else is the online dater? Well, she could be the female in front of you or behind you in the grocery checkout line, no matter what her age. She’s the female who just cut you off to get to the traffic light ahead of you, she’s the female sloshed at the bar with her friends, she’s the loudmouth standing behind you at motor vehicle. She’s the female who just kept the door open for you after she walked through it; she’s the female who just pet your dog, she’s the female who smiled at you after you cut her off accidentally. She’s the woman pumping her own gas or checking you out at a register. She could be your neighbor, your colleague, your boss, your sister, your best friend, your niece, your daughter or even your wife.

Online daters-the women-are everywhere. And they are single, married, involved, depressed, interested, anxious, lonely, confident, overbearing, quiet, active, lazy, generous, stingy, easily angered, comfortably laid back…as well as being fit, fat or in between; shorthaired, longhaired, readers, nonreaders, sport fans, daddy’s girls, short, tall, unattractive, cute, nice, dull…it goes on and on.

What all this illustrates is that online dating and online daters are not fantasy representatives of a higher order but people. Regular in-your-face, down-your-street, nothing visibly outstanding…just lots of ordinary looking people living ordinary daily routines. It’s worth remembering.