. Being a person of color I find internet dating to be an interesting barometer of the racial atudes, division and white privilege that is still present in American culture. Many of the women who are on these online dating sites are just plain scary. I say this because so many are trying to capture their past glories. They seem to think that just because they raised or are raising children as a single parent that they should get some kind of award or special medal for doing something that many women do in poorer countries everyday. I am sure that most of the men online are just as worthless and that they view women as sex objects, but too many people online dating is the new meat market. People today basically have a list of priorities that starts with their kids, their personal look, their possessions, career and the latest electronic gadgets they constantly keep repurchasing. Materialism is how we are judged and how we judge others as being a success or failure, so ironic isn’t it. If having someone special in your life is the least of these priorities then why are they on a dating site in the first place. My guess is that having a good time is really what’s happening and internet dating is very convenient and easy and if you don’t like someone you can just delete them and move on to the next, while discarding people like yesterdays newspaper. This is what happens when society is based on instant gratification and egotism. We want to know how the story ends but we are too busy to read the book or the profile. We look until we find a red flag but p by all of the green ones we see. Men seem to want the woman with the perfect body and women seem to be looking for Mr. Right, whatever that means for what man can truly know the mind of a woman. What happened to the people who are primarily honest and don’t need the best or most expensive of things to make them happy. I live off the grid, which means I produce my own energy and most of my food and resources. I love the outdoors and natural world that God has created for mankind. I’m well educated and I have a great set of ms and values. I grew up in a large urban black environment called Detroit. It is so unlike the world I live in today. Life sometimes requires us to make adjustments if we want to improve on ourselves. I think this is why people fear aging and women more so than men. The are other ways to enjoy life and the rewards are just as fulfilling and if this intrigues you then perhaps you should say hello. Friendship is only the beginning of the good things that life has to offer. I’m sure that I am not what most women want in a man and that’s okay. I seek someone special and special is not about looks; it’s about character and integrity. I don’t trip on distance, age or color.