Ian WhiteEasy Going, Down To Earth, GSOH
October 25th 2006 18:32
Kind of like an impromptu survey, I have been noting what men and women write in their profiles as things they think should attract a potential mate. There are a couple of things that it seems everyone puts in their profile and I wonder if it is a good way to gauge what we think is important in a partner.
An overwhelming number write that they have either a good sense of humour and are down to earth. A lot of times they had both. It could be that they have used someone else’s profile as a reference for How To Write Your Profile and thought that they might be attractive traits but in general, I would almost bet that everyone thinks they have a good sense of humour. Not just on dating websites, I mean everyone. And that just isn’t true or possible.
The Down-To-Earth phenomenon is interesting too. What constitutes “Down-To-Earthiness” anyway? According to www.phrases.org.uk it means that you are “Someone who is without false pride or pretense. A sensible person. A person who knows what is truly important. Being called "down-to-earth" is a good thing.”
I for one think that definition makes those of us who consider ourselves DTE to sound boring. Sensible? Sensible means you are boring.
Two DTE people meet on the internet and hit it off.
“Honey, I’m going to check the letterbox for mail”
“Do you have your Sensible shoes on?”
“Yes, and I have an umbrella, because I’m Sensible. And predictable. AND BORING!”
I don’t think of down-to-earth necessarily as meaning “sensible”. It can mean a lot of different things and I think it’s actually a little ambiguous. Or at least it’s open to interpretation. “Easy going” is another popular one among the online dating sites, and I don’t actually think that any other statement could be quite that ambiguous. How do you go? Easily? I know what “Easy Going” is meant to mean, and I do think that the perceived definition is something that I would aspire to and I would certainly like in a partner. For me, the definition of Easy Going is pretty similar to Low Maintenance. I like my women like my cars - low maintenance, fuel efficient and comfortable without being pretentious. Also, they should have air-conditioning.
The things we write in our profiles are pretty much just catch-phrases for things we don’t really have any other way of describing. I guess that’s not so bad, but it does seem like a form of verbal “rounding off”. Kind of like “near enough is good enough”, which we all know just isn’t true. I would encourage the use of a little more imagination when you write or update your profile. Being original and staying away from what everyone seems to write is hard work, but Im sure that the women who look at your profile will notice the difference between yours and the rest of the cliché-riddled rabble, and that’s worth the extra couple of minutes, isn’t it?
An overwhelming number write that they have either a good sense of humour and are down to earth. A lot of times they had both. It could be that they have used someone else’s profile as a reference for How To Write Your Profile and thought that they might be attractive traits but in general, I would almost bet that everyone thinks they have a good sense of humour. Not just on dating websites, I mean everyone. And that just isn’t true or possible.
I for one think that definition makes those of us who consider ourselves DTE to sound boring. Sensible? Sensible means you are boring.
Two DTE people meet on the internet and hit it off.
“Honey, I’m going to check the letterbox for mail”
“Do you have your Sensible shoes on?”
“Yes, and I have an umbrella, because I’m Sensible. And predictable. AND BORING!”
I don’t think of down-to-earth necessarily as meaning “sensible”. It can mean a lot of different things and I think it’s actually a little ambiguous. Or at least it’s open to interpretation. “Easy going” is another popular one among the online dating sites, and I don’t actually think that any other statement could be quite that ambiguous. How do you go? Easily? I know what “Easy Going” is meant to mean, and I do think that the perceived definition is something that I would aspire to and I would certainly like in a partner. For me, the definition of Easy Going is pretty similar to Low Maintenance. I like my women like my cars - low maintenance, fuel efficient and comfortable without being pretentious. Also, they should have air-conditioning.
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Comment by Chantal
It does seem ridiculous to assume you have a sense of humour or to boast that you are boring! I'm sure the "Wacky, unique and Excitable Personality seeks same" gets waaay more responses than the 500 "GSOH, DTE, Fun-loving Guy"
You know what you're talking about!!
Comment by Joe Blogg
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