Why Are We Still So Obsessed With the 'Meet-Cute'?
LatestFurther proof that there’s a fine line between romance and mildly creepy stupidity: a man recently wrote in to Slate’s advice column Dear Prudence admitting he saw his now-wife online first and then orchestrated a way to meet her, but he continues to let her believe it was all just romantic happenstance. And for whatever reason, he can’t just tell her the truth.
The letter-writer asks:
Q. How We Met: As far as my wife knows, we met by chance. In actuality, though, she was a friend of a friend of mine on social media, and her profile piqued my interest. I did not contact her by that medium; with the information she shared, it was easy enough to meet her in person without giving myself away. We hit it off. I’m sure she’d be flattered to learn the truth, but I’d be embarrassed if she told anyone else. Currently, no one but me knows, although I do find myself shifting uncomfortably when the story of how we met comes up. Would it be best to just tell my wife the truth, or keep it to myself?
I’m curious—why would it be weird at all to have seen this person, with whom you share a mutual acquaintance, online already? For ages, many people were embarrassed to admit they’d met online because it seemed desperate. Today, however, it’s almost weirder not to.
A simple “hey, I think I’ve seen you online before or something” would’ve sufficed. Or, “the truth is, I found myself looking at your profile, noticed you love the Occupy Movement, and decided to check it out one day hoping I’d run into you.” A person should be so lucky to motivate an actual strategy in another human being.