# I'm retarded at flirting! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 24, 2001, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-retarded-at-flirting/89426 "2001-10-24T23:47:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-retarded-at-flirting/89426/21 "2001-10-25T16:52:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moe.ron \* > **Nature** has bequeathed us with this (unfortunate) responsibility I think you spelled **“Four thousand years of social tradition in which the man was to make all the decisions for both parties”** incorrectly 🙂 And **tclouie** , don’t fret, it’s not that uncommon to be flirt-impaired. Though for some of us it’s more of a case of obliviousness 😃 [sub]Friend: “Hey, what’s the matter, JRD? That’s the second time this weekend some babe was checking you out and you just ignored her cold!” JRD: “Huh?”[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Acco40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Acco40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acco40)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-retarded-at-flirting/89426/22 "2001-10-25T17:19:57Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **JRDelirious** _: > > I think you spelled “Four thousand years of social tradition in which the man was to make all the decisions for both parties” incorrectly. Oh come **JR** ; surely you’d agree there is more going on there than "Four thousand years of _social tradition_??? “Nature” may be an overstatement of specific biological responsibilities divided up between men and women in humans by **moe.ron** , but it’s accurate enough. Yes, it may be customary for men to pursue women more readily than women pursue men, but the biological underpinnings are the motivating factor of this (universal?) “cultural” (in your estimation) phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-retarded-at-flirting/89426/23 "2001-10-25T17:37:13Z")
Hey TClouie, How am I doin’? _No, Dammit, wrong wrong wrong._ Hey TClouie, How’s that person doin’? _Sheeeesh, Just forget it_ See there is someone worse than you at it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-retarded-at-flirting/89426/24 "2001-10-25T19:47:51Z")
- Try second person, singular \* [sub] and not “How does thou” either…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-retarded-at-flirting/89426/25 "2001-10-25T19:57:46Z")
So how’s second person, singular doin’? Doesn’t sound right either. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nicklz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicklz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicklz)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-retarded-at-flirting/89426/26 "2001-10-25T20:27:05Z")
Okay this is one thing I am actually good at. The way I flirt is – get eye contact, and give them the most confident smile. A smile that says what your thinking 😃 – depending on where your at and whats going on depends on how fast I approach her, if you have time, wait a little while. If not go for it. – The most important thing is your confidence and if your kinda out of the loop on this just fake it, she might see through it and think it’s cute. – Never stop smiling, not like some loone or anything but just a pleasant smile. – Don’t say something silly, or try not too. Everyone from time to time, will say something off the top of their head trying to be quick and come off looking like a retard. Especially if their nervous, which you’ll become less and less the more times you try it. (take for example the beer comercial where the guy walks up to the girl and says “WHAT R U DOIN’”) just remember the worst thing that will happen is she will turn you down, and guess what you’ll probably never see her again so why’s it even going to matter! ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-retarded-at-flirting/89426/27 "2001-10-26T05:32:11Z")
The way I flirt is to make it totally obvious that I don’t want anything to do with them. If that doesn’t work it’s okay because I really don’t want anything to do with them. I have decided to reproduce through asexual cell division. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-retarded-at-flirting/89426/28 "2001-10-26T14:49:31Z")
shucks, easiest method for me is simply to go up to those creatures & say ‘you look like someone important’. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-retarded-at-flirting/89426/29 "2001-10-28T03:27:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Acco40 \* > \*\* > Oh come **JR** ; surely you’d agree there is more going on there than "Four thousand years of _social tradition_??? \*\* Oh, absolutely. Let’s be clear: since by the tone of his message **moe.ron** is obviously drawing a broad caricature [sub](or at least, good God, I HOPE he’s obviously drawing a broad caricature)[/sub], I thought I’d throw back at 'im the often-heard (among some PC circles) equal-and-opposite caricature. But seriously, as you well said, claiming “Nature” is determinant is an overstatement, or rather, an oversimplification (and on top of it, it does not in any way help the OP 🙂 ) and so’s claiming cultural/social supremacy (and anyway, for humans, societies ARE natural). But surely, in turn, we agree we humans should be (and if not, we’re taking too long to be) past the “biology is destiny” phase, both females _and_ males? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-retarded-at-flirting/89426.md?page=1)