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From: gds@mit-eddie.UUCP (Greg Skinner)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: Titles, Singles, and CS
Message-ID: <1147@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 2-Mar-86 14:17:02 EST
Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.1147
Posted: Sun Mar  2 14:17:02 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Mar-86 01:24:21 EST
References: <951@nmtvax.UUCP>
Organization: MIT Lusers and Hosers Inc., Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 46

> From: fine@nmtvax.UUCP (Andrew J Fine)

> Let's face it, net.singles is a refuge for socially rejected people.

I don't consider myself a socially rejected person.  I imagine many
other people who read this newsgroup feel the same way.  And yes, I'm
a CS graduate, software engineer, etc.  I happen to like what I do
enough to do it rather than do something more "socially acceptable"
which I would probably like a lot less.

> It is a low-risk environment for discussion and commisseration.

Perhaps, unless you say something derogoatory about an
unequally-treated group, then you will be torched :-)

> THIS IS A GOOD THING! 
> It means people need no longer go insane by feeling constantly alone
> all the time. People get strokes reading reactions and flames from
> other people in this group. Lest some people take offense, I don't
> speak of most people, just many. 

Actually, this feeling of "alone" that most people who post to this
group saying "I'm always so alone ... I wish I had an SO, etc."  I
have a lot of problems understanding.  There once was a time, after I
had graduated college, that I felt alone because I was on a new job
and didn't know very many people, but since I have learned how to be
alone.  I think it is important for people to know how to be alone if
they are to have successful relationships with others.   I'm not
knocking being with somebody, but there are certain levels of
dependence which some people have on people they are no longer
associated with (like old SO's) which makes them unhappy and lonely.
It's OK to feel that way for a time, but to wallow in it will just
make yourself more frustrated.

> If we can reduce the loneliness by the existence of this newsgroup,
> we have done ourselves a mitzvah.

Since summer is coming soon (hang on, east coast) there will be net
parties where we can all meet each other to bridge the loneliness.

-- 
It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under.

Greg Skinner (gregbo)
{decvax!genrad, allegra, gatech, ihnp4}!mit-eddie!gds
gds@eddie.mit.edu