Can I get your number? For, you know, a date?
April 19, 2014 10:50 AM Subscribe
Today in ethically questionable social experimentation: Guy Picking Up Guys. Also: Girl Picking Up Girls
This post was deleted for the following reason: Yeah, this kind of candid-camera/awkward imposition on strangers without any context video is not often a great fit for MeFi; if there's some non-obvious reason why this is great or illuminating, maybe try again tomorrow with more context? -- LobsterMitten
Maybe my expectations are low, but I found it a sign of progress that most of the men the guy approached politely declined (with a notable exception or two) rather than being hostile or violent.
posted by The Gooch at 11:02 AM on April 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by The Gooch at 11:02 AM on April 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
So girls can be douchebros too? What's the point?
Wait, what? The salient thing to me is that I'm not sure if any of the women even stopped smiling, much less simply shut down and walked away like some of the guys did. The women are clearly socialized differently as far the range of ways they're allowed to react to a stranger approaching them in public.
posted by XMLicious at 11:04 AM on April 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
I was surprised at how polite the majority of people were. I take it as a sign of progress. Either that, or most people figured out it was a candid camera stunt.
posted by arcticseal at 11:05 AM on April 19, 2014
posted by arcticseal at 11:05 AM on April 19, 2014
It is California, right. I'd expect things to be drastically different depending on region.
posted by naju at 11:06 AM on April 19, 2014
posted by naju at 11:06 AM on April 19, 2014
The women were all smiling about it, sure, but I still saw some anxious body language. It was interesting/amusing but still feels like a boundary-pushing experiment to me that doesn't sit quite right. This is different from garden-variety street harassment, granted, but in what ways precisely...
posted by naju at 11:11 AM on April 19, 2014
posted by naju at 11:11 AM on April 19, 2014
Either that, or most people figured out it was a candid camera stunt.
But that's a sign of progress in itself, I think. 20 years ago, maybe even 10 years ago, I think a lot of people would feel driven to seem freaked out if they were being filmed, lest people feel that they seemed too okay with the idea. Performative homophobia, so to speak. Now it's more the reverse.
posted by tavella at 11:12 AM on April 19, 2014
But that's a sign of progress in itself, I think. 20 years ago, maybe even 10 years ago, I think a lot of people would feel driven to seem freaked out if they were being filmed, lest people feel that they seemed too okay with the idea. Performative homophobia, so to speak. Now it's more the reverse.
posted by tavella at 11:12 AM on April 19, 2014
I was surprised at how polite the majority of people were.
I wonder if they edited out some of the ones who just kept walking or were otherwise boring? But yeah, people were a lot more relaxed about it than I would have guessed.
posted by Dip Flash at 11:13 AM on April 19, 2014
I wonder if they edited out some of the ones who just kept walking or were otherwise boring? But yeah, people were a lot more relaxed about it than I would have guessed.
posted by Dip Flash at 11:13 AM on April 19, 2014
I would be more than a little miffed if I'd given my number to someone who didn't actually want to go out on a date with me. The women were of a fairly uniform look for that age group and it's believable that she would be attracted to everyone she asked. The men, however, were all over the map and you can't tell me the asker really would have dated all of them.
posted by desjardins at 11:16 AM on April 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by desjardins at 11:16 AM on April 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
Same people, I think, look at the other videos put up by "whatever".
posted by soundguy99 at 11:25 AM on April 19, 2014
posted by soundguy99 at 11:25 AM on April 19, 2014
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posted by benito.strauss at 10:53 AM on April 19, 2014 [1 favorite]