Well you might be right. To me, it seems nicer to just let it go. Like, I’m not trying to have the final word or insult you or anything. But you might be right. Luckily I haven’t had to date since texting really became a thing, so it was different then- had to actually call as calling things off via text seemed really…

Well, therein lies the reason we will not agree on the solution! We disagree on the problem. I think it’s absurd to expect people’s fantasies to revolve around average looking people. I disagree that they’d make more money that way. These people know what they are doing and obviously know how to market clothes to…

Average bodies have never been a part of fantasy. I don’t know why right now the fantasy body is overly skinny- it hasn’t always been. But it has never been average. So you are not going to have a fashion industry around average bodies. That’s just never going to happen.

Yes, I get that. This is out of my bounds, but what I’m saying is that I think you are incorrect in your assumptions about what the consumers buy. It’s not just the skinny people buying those expensive clothes. It’s the fat people too. Overweight people read those mags and buy into those fantasies also.

But wait a minute. You obviously know way more about the law than I do, but I just assume that arranging a surrogate parent requires legal documents? I mean, surely she had to agree to something in writing when this whole thing was being planned? Otherwise, what is there to stop me from having a child with the man…

Oh well that’s different.

Even if that is the case, that happens all the time with regularly conceived babies too. Once you commit to having a baby- even once you get pregnant or get someone pregnant- you create a new human and therefore create a new relationship that is separate from the one with the person with whom you created the child.…

You know, maybe we are seriously talking about different things, in retrospect. But you say “dating” which is why I’m responding. I mean, here is what I’ve found (in the real world)- if you are casually dating someone and decide you don’t want to date them any more, then one option is to not call them. Sometimes, they…

Yes definitely. I’m actually an extremely loyal and thoughtful close friend and have a lifelong marriage partner with whom I’m very open and honest. I have stopped talking to people who know people I know, and sometimes we run into one another and I’m polite and so are they. There is no reason to pretend we had…

What do you suggest, specifically? Not talking about long-term relationships or friendships here, but you’ve been out on several dates or hung out several times and you just don’t like the person or want that person in your life. Do you suggest specifically outlining all the things about the person that you don’t…

I don’t know. I grew up with outdoorsy parents, and I can’t think of a single thing that I was taught to do to help draw attention to myself if I was lost in the woods. Certainly not a large signal fire. Our instruction revolved around not getting lost in the first place, in finding your way back if you are lost, and…

I guess in the case y’all were discussing though, you mean someone who is already a friend in some ways- not someone you just met. That’s harder because you probably have mutual friends. If I get close to someone, I tend to not really ever want to break off with them. I don’t know what I’d do in a situation like that.…

It's only awkward if those people are somehow still in your life. In which case, I don't think they'd fall into the category of "casual date" or "casual friend". Obviously it's a bad idea to ignore a mutual friend, neighbor, coworker, etc. But if it's someone who really has no connection to your life other than your…

Because consumer behavior is not logical. Usually (not all but most) consumers don't evaluate their purchases that way.

Yes except consumer behavior and fashion are inherently irrational. People buy expensive clothes because they want to purchase a fantasy. There is absolutely no rational reason why anyone would spend a ton of money on fancy clothes. They do it for status, for fashion, etc.

I totally disagree. It is not my responsibility to provide people with an opportunity to grow and change. It is also not my responsibility to make relationships work if I do not want to be a part of that relationship. Finally, I am not a perfect person myself, and it is very likely that there is actually nothing wrong…

Just want to chime in here to say that this sort of exhausting social stuff is EXACTLY why I ghost people. Assuming we are just talking about casual friends and not people we love, I just can’t be bothered with all that. I’m willing to “work on” relationships with people who I actually love, but beyond that, if the…

Oh, well in that case, I’ve been using the term wrong all along. Most of these discussions have been about new relationships.

I will tell you why. From the point of view of the texter, 1) I am not interested in chatting again in two months. 2) I’m not interested in being your friend. 3) There is no real reason we can discuss- either I just don’t like you that much even though there is absolutely nothing wrong with you OR I do like you but…

The difficulty with that is the inconsistency. That’s cruel. If you simply stop responding, there is no “wondering”. Which would you rather have? Someone not respond to you ever again or someone send you a text saying, “I don’t want to see you anymore?” I think both sting, but they are both better than inconsistency.…