One of my friends e-mailed the other day and said, “So … you the one who gets to review Conveyor Belt of Love?” (I could almost see her grin and chuckle at me.)
Nope, I’m not reviewing it. But she did alert me to it, so of course, I watched—and lost a quarter of my brain cells in the process. (I’m thankful I can still type!)
Here’s the premise of this ABC reality/dating/attempted comedy program: Men roll by on a conveyor belt while five women tell them whether they’re interested in dating them or not. If a woman likes a man, she can ask him out on a date—but she can also trade up if someone more interesting rolls by. (Apparently, no one cares about the men’s feelings, and several looked hurt when they were discarded.)
The guys have one minute to make an impression—good, bad or horrifying. One man came out using nunchucks. Another read badly written love poetry and suggested he has some impressive physical attributes. Others tried magic tricks or the ukulele. One man just screamed a lot.
Shockingly, none of these dudes were asked out.
But one guy rolled by wearing a Speedo and holding his dog. He was snatched up immediately because the woman thought he was “courageous.” (It didn’t hurt that he was also built like a Greek god.)
My question in all of this: Is this gradually becoming the state of American dating? If so, are we getting so shallow because of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and other reality dating programs where potential spouses are practically shopped for?
Have you ever known a dating “consumer?” And if you think our dating culture really is becoming more like a conveyor belt than a prayerful process, then how do we get out of shopping mode?
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