Online Dating: Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde

It looks like the online dating thing may turn into a recurring theme here. Not surprising, I suppose, considering how many whackos there are out there.

Okay, so you remember the e-mail from Gary? Well, believe it or not, there's someone even more incredible than Gary. Let me tell you about Darren.

Darren is a member of an online dating site. As he browses the available profiles and finds a woman in which he's interested, he sends her a message. After receiving the message and reading Darren's profile, the woman decides not to pursue the relationship and replies with, "Thanks, but I'm not interested." How does Darren react? He sends the following message:

Subject: YOU SUCK

you old hag

Wait, it gets better.

Another woman receives a message from Darren and decides to try chatting with him to find out more about him. After a few brief, but relatively pleasant online conversations, Darren suggests that they meet for donuts and coffee. The woman is not interested in doing so. Through their conversations, she's learned that he lives at home with his mother, he's unemployed, and she just gets an uncomfortable feeling about him. So, she declines his invitation and ends the conversation pleasantly.

A few days pass, during which the woman receives a few messages from Darren. Just a line or two, saying things like, "So when are we going out for donuts?", or "I miss chatting. Where are you?" After a few more days, the tone of the messages changes. Finally, she receives the following message:

Subject: You bitch

Thank you for ignoring my mail and blowing me off for over an entire week.

A few days later, when the woman is online chatting with a friend, Darren IMs her. This is their conversation:

Him: f*cking hello to you too
Her: That's pleasant.
Him: well thats what you get when you ignore me
Her: I don't respond to rudeness.
Him: i wasnt rude
Her: Calling someone you've never met a "bitch" = rude.
Him: ignoring someone makes you a bitch
[no response]
Him: you blew me off for more than a week, what do you expect
[no response]
Him: you said we were going to meet
Her: Well, I can guarantee that ain't gonna happen now.
Him: screw you you fat bitch
Her: Classy. Leave me alone.
(After she blocks his user name, so he can no longer IM her, he uses another user name to reply)
Him: go to hell

Immediately, he sends her the following message through the online dating site:

Subject: [blank]

you are one old fart

I swear, I am not making this up. I wish to God I was, because it's absolutely terrifying to me and every other woman who is attempting to meet a decent, honest guy online.