I was glancing at some online personal ads, which I used to frequent and haven’t looked at in quite a while now. I’m not looking – in fact, I don’t even have an account with any of them anymore – but it was curious and even a bit sad to look at them. Of course, my criteria for judging them are particular to me, but I think the headline and first few words of a person’s profile can reveal much about them. Here are a few examples:

“The world is not enough, let conquer it. About me: I am [height] [weight] [race] who is into music and sports…”

“I’m here to recruit you. Laid back guy that is open to meeting cool dudes…”

“Sexy Young Lawyer Seeks Someone Special. I am so happy to be an American. Only in America could a guy like me, who started with very humble beginnings, earn an Ivy League…”

“I am shy at first but an intuitive lover. The skinny gay man in [city] looking for Mr. Right. Not Mr. Perfect. God, I hate that term. Perfection isn’t real…”

After a while, they all start sounding the same. Most of them are hopeless romantics, hoping to find that special someone. Most of them say they are looking for friendship first, and more if it’s there. I wonder what these people are really looking for, whether they think they will find it with these words and a few pictures. I know I used some sappy sentence that seemed catchy at the time when I was using these websites. What would I write now, if anything? “If anything” perhaps is the key. I don’t think I could go back to that world.

Excerpt from “Everybody Knows” by the Dixie Chicks

Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can’t erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won’t forget my name
That’s the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows