offering yourself on a plate to a collection of the world’s lonelies

from “How Tinder Solved Online Dating for Women – NYmag.com /The Cut“:

Perhaps most important, Tinder is a far cry from the exercise in self-flagellation that online dating has come to signify for many women. “It didn’t feel like offering yourself on a plate to a collection of the world’s ‘lonelies,’” says Natasha Bird, who lives in London. “It also allowed for the more casual type of connection without seeming totally sleazy.”

this was my experience exactly, when i dipped into the world of online dating, shortly in NYC in 2004 (never went out with anyone, but came close with a guy whose email address was mike@upthebuttandaroundthecorner.com) and portland in 2009, where i went on two dates, one with someone who had lied about being divorced (? why?) and one nice guy who looked like a youth group minister (but wasn’t), had a daughter, sang sacred harp, and who tried to give me a hug but instead fell on me from behind.