Dating Sucks

I know many of you enjoyed my recent post about the fake web site supposedly created by a woman whose husband had cheated on her. Well, here's another good read.

Apparently — and this one is real, folks — some guy in New York named Darren met a woman named Joanne on JDate back in June. (If you don't know, JDate is a dating site for members of the tribe.) They went out, she led him on, said she'd go out with him again, so he paid for the entire date. Well, guess what? She had no interest in going out with this guy again. So what did he do? He emailed and called and tried to get her to pay for her half of the date ($50). When she didn't respond, he kept calling and emailing. And when she did email, it only encouraged him to call and email more.

Suffice it to say, you can read all the emails and hear — yes, hear — all the voice mails right here.

According to Snopes.com, which reports on web hoaxes, this isn't the first time such a thing has happened or been passed around the internet. But this Darren guy is apparently very real, as the blog GonzoRangers has discovered. I won't link to his company's web site or to news stories that quote him, but you can find them very easily if you want to. And for further proof, check out this story from the New York Daily News. Or, you can check out Confessions of a Drama Duchess not only to read excerpts from Darren's JDate profile, but also to see his picture.

Actually, GonzoRangers has been tracking the story, and in the most recent posting about the subject, there's a voice mail left by Darren, who has heard about and seen postings like the one you're reading right now, and plans to sue Joanne for "much more than the $50 in question." Apparently, GonzoRangers has also been emailed with demands to take down its postings about Darren. (I wonder if I'll get one too.)

One of my favorite parts of the whole saga is how it's spawned a cottage industry. For example, you can buy official "Darrenator" t-shirts, boxers shorts and other merchandise. And then there's songwriter David Kraut, who has turned the story into a song (called "Do the Right Thing"), complete with clips of Darren's voice mails.

Folks, this story proves a few things:
1. You've gotta be careful with what you say and do in this day and age.
2. Sometimes it's just easier to suck it up, be the bigger person, and move on.
3. Never write or call back someone you have no interest in speaking with, even if it's just to tell them to leave you alone.
4. Some people have way too much time on their hands.
5. The people you meet on JDate are, um, not not always that cool.
6. Dating sucks.