Ladies, would you date a random stranger.

This thread was inspired by the harassment thread that I’m too lazy to link to.

Let’s just say you’re at the grocery store mulling over the various brands of cereal when a handsome devil approaches you and says: “Hey, my name is John, would you like to out for a coffee sometime?”

Would you accept? [If you’re currently attached, just pretend you’re single]

(1st! :D)

I would, assuming I looked at the person and thought, “Damn, well ain’t you bangable!” and not “Damn, the gene pool needs chlorine.” Takes guts to walk up to a stranger and ask them out, and if the handsome devil has done so with me, at least I know they’re interested!

Funny, he never asks for a second cup of coffee at home…

I guess you could say I kinda did - I met my husband through online dating. He walked up to my profile and said, “Hey, would you like to go for coffee some time?” :slight_smile:

I think your premise is flawed. Asking someone out in line at the grocery store is different. In the Roberts video, the guys are essentially cold callers.

I understand that. I’m not going to start a poll asking women if they’d go out with a guy that cat called them because I already know how that thread would turn out.

What I’m NOT sure about is would a woman go out with a man knowing that the only thing that inspired him to ask you out is that he finds you physically attractive.

Based on your OP I said no. First off because it would be weird, I have no experience with men just asking for a date immediately, it’d be a little strange and suspicious. Second, we know practically nothing about each other from him just saying two sentences to me, other than he finds me attractive (and based on your OP I find him attractive too) and we shop at the same grocery store.

I’d be more likely to say yes if we talked for even just a few minutes, then I could get a sense if we have things in common, and if I’d enjoy spending more time with him, and I could get a better sense if he seems safe or not.

I’ve actually been looking for that thread - I hate to interrupt your laziness, but could you point me at it? Thanks. :slight_smile:

Gah! You’re such a pain Cat Whisperer! Here. :slight_smile:

I know, I know. I’ll eat some chocolate in your name today. :smiley:

That I am sure about. I’m no Denzel Washington but I’ve gone out with people I’ve met in the grocery store, coffee shop, or on the El. Time enough to chat is usually all you need, as the creepy guys really can’t seem to turn it off for even a few seconds.

As for catcalling? It doesn’t work, and everyone knows it doesn’t work - I’ve asked every guy I’ve seen do it. The usual response is “No, but one day…”

Definitely not. I’d find it very weird and outside my normal social expectations.

I have. Actually, it wasn’t coffee, but dinner. Well, and he wasn’t drop dead handsome, but interesting enough. It didn’t work out, but it was worth an evening of talking to someone.

How else are you supposed to find out if you are interested in someone?

Talk to them? Like … not on a date. At the actual supermarket/bookshop/cafe/bus stop/street corner where first you attracted their attention.

I dunno, I just want a little more breathing space between first appearance of new face and “hey - romance?” And I’ve never been in a position where meeting folks with common interests was very hard, and I don’t feel like I have quite enough time for my actual already-friends friends, so…

Well, presumably the woman finds him physically attractive as well. It’s not like women are against physical attraction.

I make it a point to not go out with folks who leave words out of their sentences. :wink:

Yes, I’m a guy, but I couldn’t resist pointing this out.

Yes, same. If we happened to start talking and it turned out we had some kind of connection or something in common, then maybe…but someone just approaching me out of the blue–it’s hard to make a call on that. I wouldn’t really know anything about the guy.

Back in the day? Probably. I’m finding (here in my forties) that I wasn’t raised with very good boundaries, so totally believed in the concept of “find love where you can / love conquers all,” blah blah blah. And this often led to disaster in more ways than one. Now? Probably not so much. Not because it’d necessarily be a bad reflection on the guy, but because of all the potential bullshit (of whatever stripe) that it’d just be easier to avoid. If it was just for a hook-up, then yeah, I’d be willing to expand my definition of “date.” :wink:

Huh? What difference does it makes that he’s asking you out when you’re in line at the store, on a platform waiting for your subburban train, or walking down the street? He’s equally a stranger, and he’s equally acting uninvited.

There’s a subtle but significant difference, in my experience. Part of it is why the guy’s there. The guys on the street are pretty much randomly hitting on anyone passing by - they aren’t going about their lives stumbling across someone they find attractive.