Tinder: Why You Gotta Be So Rude?

Full Disclosure: I have never been on a Tinder date. Heck, I couldn't even access this increasingly popular mobile dating app on my iPhone 4s if I wanted to.  But I've heard the horror stories and the complaints. I've seen the pain in the eyes of the girl whose date made her not only feel unattractive but uhuman. I’ve read the #WorstDateEver tweets from the guy who is not only out fifty bucks and an hour of his life he could never get back but is completely disheartened by the dating scene.

I have even swiped to the right and to the left on the phones of my Tinder-enthusiast-friends. Needless to say, I have developed an opinion on Tinder, and the world must hear it!

To clarify, this post is about Tinder use in New York City. I am sure there are similar dynamics occurring in other big cities, but I will start with my home base. It might as well be a universal law that Tinder has an immense talent for bringing out the rudeness of New Yorkers. (As if we weren't rude enough!) I have never in my life heard so many despicable dating tales that can all be traced back to one dating medium. 

In fact, I think Tinder is the worst thing that could have hit the NYC dating scene. If you are seriously looking for love, I ask you to strongly consider whether it is in your best interest to be exposed to this beast.

Tinder is the new Craigslist Casual Encounters and is from the same egg as the old Chatroulette. But we all knew that, right? Do you and the New Yorkers you know really think your chances of finding a compatible match who actually wants to be in a serious relationship or marriage are high on Tinder? To my amazement, some of you do. Because the ones on Tinder who are not looking for just sex are going on date after date hoping to find “The One”. Sure it could happen, but so could getting struck by lightening! 

Of course, it is possible to meet some quality relationship-oriented singles on Tinder, but I've come to believe you'd be more likely to:

- Exchange a few uninspiring text messages with a stranger who will soon start ignoring you.

- Be on a Tinder date with someone you never spoke to who has four other Tinder dates this weekend with people he/she has never spoken to. Two of which are on the same day as yours.

- Be downgraded from dinner to drinks with someone who will meet you for an hour on their way back from a road trip to Costco---before they go home to shower for their friend’s birthday party.

- Have someone leave mid-date because they aren't physically attracted to you and can't be bothered to get to know you to see if your personality might make you more desirable.

And maybe, just maybe, you'll hear the sorry excuse for bad behavior that my girl friend heard the other night: "It's only a Tinder date."  That’s precisely the problem, you see. There are a whole lot of people out there-many who are men-that are not taking Tinder seriously at all. And why should they? 

There is almost no effort required to get a Tinder date. Plus, Tinder daters know virtually nothing about each other except for their age and how they look in their Facebook photos. Not only do people go into most dates with a minimal level of excitement and lack of previous communication, they don’t care as much about making a good impression on the date because they know deep down it is all just a crapshoot.

Ladies, if you are looking for your future husband in NYC, a stint on Tinder is even bleaker for you than it is for the boys. I could write an entire book on the reasons why, but for now, I urge you to consider what you are really doing by dating on Tinder.

In my opinion, you are setting yourself up for a relationship that will fail to launch. You are dating (if you can call meeting a man two blocks from his office for a twenty minute drink dating) men who are superficial and looking for instant gratification. 

You are giving up your power, because you are competing for a time slot with the dozens and dozens of other women he’s texting from Tinder right now. Before you even meet, you are nothing special in his mind, because he didn’t even have to call you in order for you to meet him. He didn’t have to make a plan to take you to dinner. He didn’t get to look forward to meeting you next week because you are available to meet him right now—before he even showered. 

Call me old fashioned and hopeless romantic, but I want the man who regards our first date as something special. Something that warrants bathing. The man who has an attention span, likes real life interaction, and will actually pursue me because he is interested in going out with me. Not the man who is filling time. Escaping his loneliness. Or hoping to get lucky with a random hookup.

Guys, I know that some of you are reading this and wanting to be that man that I and every woman out there really want. Deep down inside, most of you know how to treat women well. But if you are on Tinder too long, you run the risk of getting corrupted. Objectifying women. Placing too much value on the physical—because you can. Treating women like they are disposable, because they let you. Becoming too picky. Becoming lazy about the whole dating process. And getting jaded by the crazies, the liars, and the women who just want to use you. You are setting yourself up for failure as well. Psychologically, you need a challenge to be happy in a relationship for the long term. You need to pursue a woman to value your relationship with her. And you won’t value any one woman when you view women as a dime a dozen. Obviously, that view gets reinforced every time you log on to Tinder.

Overall, I think Tinder should come with a disclaimer. I felt compelled to put this out there, because I see more NYC singles suffering than succeeding in their Tinder-ing. I hope I encouraged some of you to think twice before you swipe and consider the benefits of meeting people the old fashioned way. If you understand all the cons of Tinder and are still willing to play your cards with this app, by all means: SWIPE ON!

Have you had a good or bad experience with Tinder? Do you think most people can really find love on Tinder? Or do you think Tinder does more harm than good? Please leave your comments here.

 

---