I'm having a Deja-Vu moment here, check out, the following post:
Community > General Discussion/ "Females or Males"
http://mingle2.com/topic/424982

I stand solidly on the issue that ignorance, or ignoring the information on an individual's profile is just...STUPID. I am, a daily smoker with an interest in blending different tobaccos to create, "The Perfect Smoke", lol!
So saying, if someone who despises, *Smoking*, near their person or in their environment, writes me, a note of *interest"[*they have not read my profile], ; well I think that's just an avoidable waste of time... Dumb. No, I'm NOT going to & do my "nasty-business" outside in the woods, "like a deer" in 30 below weather! Word! lmao!

Again,many individuals of both genders are incapable of an objective assessment of themselves that either errs in the over or under estimation of their physical appearance, intellectual ability, or skill[s]/talent[s]. Most common is the under estimation of one's physical & cognitive assets & qualities so especially common with the cliche-" female insecurity" in terms of their own bodies/physical appearance.
The field of cosmetic surgery is a lucrative & thriving business because of this fact. Women[ even, young teenagers], with absolutely perfect breasts & bodies, obtaining breast augmentation, bloated,pouting parodies of-Angelina Jolie's lips- ect.-Gross!
Frankly, I find your friend's self-image to be refreshing although a tad, narcissistic, but,totally understandable in terms of her age & as a product of the social values that surround us[facebook & the like, ect].
The definition of "Beauty" or "Good Looking" is a totally subjective awareness in that the individual who is described as "Unattractive" may be, my own or your- Eye Candy;}

Dunning–Kruger Effect: Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias wherein unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their ability to be much higher than is accurate. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their ineptitude. Conversely, highly skilled individuals tend to underestimate their relative competence, erroneously assuming that tasks which are easy for them are also easy for others.[citation needed]

As David Dunning and Justin Kruger of Cornell University conclude: "The miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others."[1]
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Basically the Dunning-Kruer Effect outlines an individual suffering from a sad inability to ascertain, any true, honest, or objective perception of "Self". I.E. "Most azzhol#es do not see that they are azzhol#es" ;}

Mark it down as an experience & in the words of The Wiz, "Ease-on down the path..." lmao!

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That's just a total mystery to me as I place equal amount, if not more- importance on the information contained in their profile as I do on a 2D image.

I think you're making an issue out of an "non-issue". You've confessed to being relatively new to these sites so allow me to offer some practical advise. First of all, on your profile, prominently display that you are only interested in communicating & meeting folks in your local geographical location-foreigners need not apply;} Secondly there is a feature labeled "Mail Settings" where you are able to filter out any written communication from those individuals outside a specific geographical range.
Good luck & as to my thoughts on the topic; as I love to travel & learn about different cultures, people, & places, it is great feature to be able to do that on this site;}

"Women" are not the only gender guilty of this charge...*grins*


Dearest Men,

Please do not use profile pictures or send snaps featuring the following characteristics:

Photos that do not bear any resemblance to your actual, real-time physical appearance.
Photographs of your self, displaying a dead fish/or some other poor critter who met a tragic end due to your efforts.
Photographs of your self leaning on your car/ motorcycle, boat, or tractor, ect. Photographs featuring a beloved dog, cat, gerbil, ect. Photographs of landscapes, sunsets/sunrises, or other geological phenomenon.
Photographs of your self with a woman [also in the picture] scrubbed-out with a pin/ or crossed out by with black marker.
Photographs of yourself, holding your babies/grand-babies; photos of yourself, holding "someone else's" baby...;}
Photographs of yourself that feature your [unattractive] nakedness or private parts.
"Selfies" that are visually impossible to discern due to blurriness, darkness, & poor pixel quality.
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Cyberspace is a place where, "Let The Buyer, Beware..." In that vein, please do not take offense at any request to share a webcam conversation with someone. Although, webcam imagery can be falsely manipulated, at least the margin for an unpleasant surprise is some what minimized;}
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Thank you, in advance for your attention to this post,
Most sincerely,
,
An interested spectator

Well, letz see... Besides an extensive background in the beauty business as a professional make-up artist, I'm also quite adept with various software digital imaging programs & photo manipulation. I have no problem in using professional photographers, said imaging programs & skills to maximize physical attractiveness in my own [recent] photos as well as the photographs of others.
Way before, "The Digital Age", in doing professional magazine/fashion shoots with assorted models; I made the observation that some individuals are just very photogenic. Many of these individuals, in the possession of this quality,would appear in "in real time/in person" to be thin/wasted, rough-looking,& somewhat unattractive specimens who made me, wonder how they could have been contracted by any top modeling agency to represent any icon of what & how, "Beauty" is defined?! Well, give these wankers, a great make-up job, proper lighting,state-of-the-art hardware, & the skills of talented professional photographers & VOILA! The photos would reveal, "A True Beauty"? capable of taking one's breath away, lol! Were the photos-Lies? Yes & No, I was there & helped in their real time creation.Sadly, the same is true on the opposite spectrum. There were fabulously attractive individuals who, by no fault of their own, do not photograph well & come-out, looking "Beasty" in their photographs.
The moral of this story is that 2D images are only a small part of the whole story & unreliable at best in ascertaining the truth about real time appearance. This is the reason that whenever possible, I often insist on seeing someone on a web-cam before arranging a real time meeting.

There is a huge shortage of available individuals who have the capability for emotional honesty, self awareness, & intellectual depth. *Grins* So what else is news?

"Silence Is Never Golden" in an intimate, honest, & loving relationship.


Keep Talking Pink Floyd Lyrics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ithViBMF1k

"There's a silence surroundiing me
I can't seem to think straight
I'll sit in the corner
Where no one can bother me
I think I should speak now (why won't you talk to me)
But I can't seem to speak now (you never talk to me)
My words won't come out right (what are you thinking)
I feel like I'm drowning (What are you feeling)
I'm feeling weak now (why won't you talk to me)
But I can't show my weakness (you never talk to me
I sometimes wonder (what are you thinking)
Where do we go from here (what are you feeling)

It doesn't have to be like this
All we need to do is make sure we keep talking

Why won't you talk to me (I feel like I'm drowning)
You never talk to me (you know I can't breathe now)
What are you thinking (we're going nowhere)
What are you feeling (we're going nowhere)
Why won't you talk to me
You never talk to me
What are you thinking
Where do we go from here"

"Gender" Roles, gender training[conditioning] is a topic, meriting many years of study as the impact of that conditioning has a life long, deep & profound effect on an individual. Psychologically, "Gender" is the first learned element of self-identity in the conscious perception of an infant["I am a boy or, I am a girl. "- male or female].
Although it's impossible to respond to the complex issue of "Gender" in a post format; here's an easy way to understand "Gender-Assigned-Roles" in your next trip to the Greeting/ Holiday Card section of any store you happen to be in. Check out, "New Baby Congratulation Cards" category & make note of the major differences between the greeting cards for: "Your New Baby [Boy]" as opposed to the cards addressing," A New Baby [Girl]". Old-School or New Age; nothing's really changed; there's enough information in those baby cards to indicate that fact.

I think other people were talking about all of her posts here, which are very negative. I agree with what everyone has said.


There's a difference between "Talking/Discussing[ in the objective]" & "Judging"[i.e."very negative"]" all the OP's posts So you agree with "Everyone"[THEM]? Sad to add is the fact that you would even write that, illustrates the objection[s] that I had in reading this thread.


"As I stare up at azure skies, my depression kicks in, and I slowly begin to lose my sanity..."

WORD!
[*in this case, the OP made a remark regarding a shortage of men who adhered to specific criteria, ect...] She never implied that this observation was a recorded fact derived from academic research. All of the sudden, other idiots are writing her as to her "bitter" attitude,need for therapy, ect..WTF?!
Live & let live; everyone has his/her own opinions & perspectives. Who, here, has the right to judge what anyone else expresses as to the nature of their own personal[subjective] experience? After reading thru some of the feedback from the original post;can't tell if what I'm reacting to here is troll-ism or just plain ignorance? All I know is that I have a short fuse for superficial ******** from sanctimonious az*holes[male or in this case-mostly female].Grow-up.

Greetings to a fellow-INTJ

INTROVERT/TYPE: [INTJ];(introversion, intuition, thinking, judgment) is an initialism used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types. Jung proposed a psychological typology based on the theories of cognitive functions that he developed through his clinical observations.
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That's a shame. There's an abundance of talented software developers; it might be beneficial to solicit their services to improve upon, the many positive features offered on this site? Couldn't the site be affiliated with one of the chat networking systems[skype, aim, ect.] already in existence? Scammers, crooks, & frauds are easier to spot on chat[esp.with webcam abilities]; "safety" is well worth an additional monthly charge to many of us;}

The cyber world road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with scammers, trolls & other annoying specimens of human garbage. Keep smiling

The "IM" Software is really unsatisfactory; it doesn't function properly at all. Is this the same & only software available if one decides to upgrade to a "Paying" Account?