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Ugly people with lumpy bodies have been successfully reproducing for millennia. Many of them even had/have shit personalities to top it off. Dating sucks becau

Ugly people with lumpy bodies have been successfully reproducing for millennia. Many of them even had/have shit personalities to top it off. Dating sucks because in modern times we are coddled and are terrified of failure, many of us spend way too much time behind computer screens and on social media so our people skills have atrophied, and we also spend relatively little time around other people in fun and recreational environments so the opportunities are just missing in a massive way. The apps completely change how we perceive ourselves and our potential sexual partners. I can't believe I have to say this, but the biggest things that have changed with regards to dating in the past 10 years vs the past 1,000 are social patterns and technology. >It’s completely asymmetric gender-wise and failing on it is basically failing on being. This kind of attitude is so harmful. If your life's purpose is 100% dependent on some idealized stranger granting you validation you are in for a bad time. Sex is great, biological imperatives are powerful, but you wont find animals falling into existential dread and despair because they haven't gotten laid yet (or recently). That is a particularly human trait, and it comes from obsessive and self-defeating beliefs about the world rather than reality itself. You might feel like this belief is out of your hands, but it very much is not. Your beliefs are one of the few things in this world that are entirely up to you to change and improve upon (or not).

low_tech_love 3y ago
I think we’re saying the same thing basically but my perspective was a bit too negative. Dating is brutal but we still do it, ugly or not, of course. We’ve been doing it for millennia and we never needed politically correct fashion ads to make that work. The problem is when you find yourself surrounded by this comforting mumbo jumbo of “every body is beautiful” and then when you get out there it doesn’t apply. I’d much rather have someone tell me “it’s a jungle out there, get ready, people will treat you like shit but find your path and be strong and unique in who you are”. Your comment about the harmful attitude is correct, I 100% agree. But again, if you listen to what is implicitly conveyed in social media (where every human being is basically reduced to a single one-dimensional score), you would have a hard time reaching that conclusion. Nobody really “says” that, but as a human being you read between the lines. I guess it sounded like I was saying “date apps are fine, it’s us who are the problem” but I didn’t mean it, I think social media is very harmful.
zlg_codes 3y ago
The experiences with people need to be high quality if you want people to socialize often. Speaking for myself, I'm not really interested in being around loud, raucous places where I have to spend money just to exist and socialize there. Those are businesses, not communities. Third places and real communities don't really exist anymore. I legitimately can't remember the last time I went to a public event and enjoyed myself.
- johnnyanmac 3y ago
  >I legitimately can't remember the last time I went to a public event and enjoyed myself. A public event you didn't pay for? Really depends. I can still enjoy a decent meetup here and there. But meetup issues come from the meetup itself or the people being inconsistent. Hard to build relationships when it's a revolving door that claims to meet "every 2 weeks" but ends up averaging 4-8 weeks.
- momojo 3y ago
  > Third places and real communities don't really exist anymore. I joined a book club last year, and it was great for a few months, but I noticed that most people, unless truly dedicated, petered off, or would only come and 'taste' for a month then ghost. I'm not saying I'm any better. When you've gone to 5 book clubs that have fallen apart, why would you risk committing and being sad when it falls apart again? I believe our ability to commit is deteriorating; the how and why is a whole nother topic.
  - red-iron-pine 3y ago
    there are so many competing demands for time, and some of them are pretty dang good. why take a risk on a book club when you can shitpost online? and watch netflix at the same time?
  - zlg_codes 3y ago
    I think you answered yourself, in a sense. Our ability to commit is deteriorating, but the reason why is (partly) the risk of commitment itself. You risk being hurt or disappointed if you commit to the wrong event or wrong person. Figuring out what's "good" to commit to is possibly more individual than we realize. I personally find it weird when people talk shit about someone being unwilling to commit, as if one should jump straight into serious obligations without any forethought. You didn't do that of course, but I see it come up in discussions sometimes, mostly concerning relationships. Commitment is more complicated than most people see it imo.
somsak2 3y ago
>you wont find animals falling into existential dread and despair because they haven't gotten laid yet (or recently) I don't think I've heard of any animal falling into existential dread or despair, for any reason. But quality of life is absolutely impacted by ability to breed.
- n6242 3y ago
  Years ago there was this elephant at the zoo pacing at his enclosure. I spent 30 minutes watching, and while it didn't explicitly mention anything about feeling existential dread or despair, it certainly looked like it did.
  - throwaway2037 3y ago
    I feel you. Probably all advanced mammals have very complex inner lives and emotions.
adnmcq999 3y ago
Have you ever watched a nature program? 99% of animals are spending 99% of their time trying to survive and reproduce. They aren’t asking themselves “why?” hence the absence of any existential crises. That is the universal behavior, and it is totally valid for any being capable of knowing this to be depressed about it.
- PH95VuimJjqBqy 3y ago
  In truth, who really knows what animals think. My pets certainly seem to appreciate companionship.

low_tech_love 3y ago

I think we’re saying the same thing basically but my perspective was a bit too negative. Dating is brutal but we still do it, ugly or not, of course. We’ve been doing it for millennia and we never needed politically correct fashion ads to make that work. The problem is when you find yourself surrounded by this comforting mumbo jumbo of “every body is beautiful” and then when you get out there it doesn’t apply. I’d much rather have someone tell me “it’s a jungle out there, get ready, people will treat you like shit but find your path and be strong and unique in who you are”. Your comment about the harmful attitude is correct, I 100% agree. But again, if you listen to what is implicitly conveyed in social media (where every human being is basically reduced to a single one-dimensional score), you would have a hard time reaching that conclusion. Nobody really “says” that, but as a human being you read between the lines. I guess it sounded like I was saying “date apps are fine, it’s us who are the problem” but I didn’t mean it, I think social media is very harmful.

zlg_codes 3y ago

The experiences with people need to be high quality if you want people to socialize often. Speaking for myself, I'm not really interested in being around loud, raucous places where I have to spend money just to exist and socialize there. Those are businesses, not communities. Third places and real communities don't really exist anymore. I legitimately can't remember the last time I went to a public event and enjoyed myself.

johnnyanmac 3y ago
>I legitimately can't remember the last time I went to a public event and enjoyed myself. A public event you didn't pay for? Really depends. I can still enjoy a decent meetup here and there. But meetup issues come from the meetup itself or the people being inconsistent. Hard to build relationships when it's a revolving door that claims to meet "every 2 weeks" but ends up averaging 4-8 weeks.
momojo 3y ago
> Third places and real communities don't really exist anymore. I joined a book club last year, and it was great for a few months, but I noticed that most people, unless truly dedicated, petered off, or would only come and 'taste' for a month then ghost. I'm not saying I'm any better. When you've gone to 5 book clubs that have fallen apart, why would you risk committing and being sad when it falls apart again? I believe our ability to commit is deteriorating; the how and why is a whole nother topic.
- red-iron-pine 3y ago
  there are so many competing demands for time, and some of them are pretty dang good. why take a risk on a book club when you can shitpost online? and watch netflix at the same time?
- zlg_codes 3y ago
  I think you answered yourself, in a sense. Our ability to commit is deteriorating, but the reason why is (partly) the risk of commitment itself. You risk being hurt or disappointed if you commit to the wrong event or wrong person. Figuring out what's "good" to commit to is possibly more individual than we realize. I personally find it weird when people talk shit about someone being unwilling to commit, as if one should jump straight into serious obligations without any forethought. You didn't do that of course, but I see it come up in discussions sometimes, mostly concerning relationships. Commitment is more complicated than most people see it imo.

somsak2 3y ago

>you wont find animals falling into existential dread and despair because they haven't gotten laid yet (or recently) I don't think I've heard of any animal falling into existential dread or despair, for any reason. But quality of life is absolutely impacted by ability to breed.

n6242 3y ago
Years ago there was this elephant at the zoo pacing at his enclosure. I spent 30 minutes watching, and while it didn't explicitly mention anything about feeling existential dread or despair, it certainly looked like it did.
- throwaway2037 3y ago
  I feel you. Probably all advanced mammals have very complex inner lives and emotions.

adnmcq999 3y ago

Have you ever watched a nature program? 99% of animals are spending 99% of their time trying to survive and reproduce. They aren’t asking themselves “why?” hence the absence of any existential crises. That is the universal behavior, and it is totally valid for any being capable of knowing this to be depressed about it.

PH95VuimJjqBqy 3y ago
In truth, who really knows what animals think. My pets certainly seem to appreciate companionship.