As you've no doubt worked out (possibly from the thread title), the discussion I'm aiming to have here is about the 'wingman' [footnote]For the sake of simplicity I'm going to call female equivalents by the same name, I figure the kind of people who are going to take offence at that are probably going to be equally offended by the concept of helping friends pick up).[/footnote] role friends sometimes play.
So, the overwhelming majority of people on this site are currently or would like to be involved with the opposite sex (hence the countless relationship threads). I've no doubt a great many of you are uncomfortable striking up conversation with potential partners. Of course, another, different, great many of you will be fantastic at interacting with the opposite sex and as such may or may not be inclined to give a helping hand to their less charismatic and/or confident friends. It's this endeavour that I am curious about.
Basically, the sudden motivation[footnote]Few people will pick this up on an anonymous forum, however it's probably worth noting I scarcely invest effort in my own sex life, much less that of friends.[/footnote] for this stems from a friend I've known for several years, I'll skim past the tedious bits, but in essence he's desperate for a relationship. So much so that he's convinced himself that he's involved with a 16 year old[footnote]He's 20. It isn't illegal, but it also isn't healthy, especially as there's no chance of it ever amounting to anything.[/footnote] girl from across the pacific. The guy is very shy and somehow always manages to say the worst possible things, this is made worse by his complete intolerance of alcohol and his masculine desire to keep up the same number of drinks as the other guys in the group. He has little to no chance of meeting girls outside of through myself and other friends, and as time goes on it's becoming more and more obvious that if he is to have any measure of success, he's going to need help.
So, the ultimate question here is, should I take it upon myself to try and help him meet a girl? Obviously it isn't my responsibility and there's no reason for getting involved other than he's increasing desperation being more pathetic than I can bear. I'm not the most experienced guy in this area, and as I seem to find myself in positions where girls are interested in me with little to no effort (not entirely sure why it is, but my assumption is it's a combination of being confident and not caring about becoming involved with anyone specifically). There's a good chance that it could go very poorly and do more harm than good. How do the escapians feel about the concept of assisting a pick up, can this kind of relationship ever be long lasting and meaningful? More importantly, is the community able to produce examples (not necessarily similar circumstances, just general wingman stories)[footnote]I've only recently discovered the footnote function, and yes, I have basically been using it at every opportunity...I like it. This footnote doesn't actually add anything to my post.[/footnote].
So, the overwhelming majority of people on this site are currently or would like to be involved with the opposite sex (hence the countless relationship threads). I've no doubt a great many of you are uncomfortable striking up conversation with potential partners. Of course, another, different, great many of you will be fantastic at interacting with the opposite sex and as such may or may not be inclined to give a helping hand to their less charismatic and/or confident friends. It's this endeavour that I am curious about.
Basically, the sudden motivation[footnote]Few people will pick this up on an anonymous forum, however it's probably worth noting I scarcely invest effort in my own sex life, much less that of friends.[/footnote] for this stems from a friend I've known for several years, I'll skim past the tedious bits, but in essence he's desperate for a relationship. So much so that he's convinced himself that he's involved with a 16 year old[footnote]He's 20. It isn't illegal, but it also isn't healthy, especially as there's no chance of it ever amounting to anything.[/footnote] girl from across the pacific. The guy is very shy and somehow always manages to say the worst possible things, this is made worse by his complete intolerance of alcohol and his masculine desire to keep up the same number of drinks as the other guys in the group. He has little to no chance of meeting girls outside of through myself and other friends, and as time goes on it's becoming more and more obvious that if he is to have any measure of success, he's going to need help.
So, the ultimate question here is, should I take it upon myself to try and help him meet a girl? Obviously it isn't my responsibility and there's no reason for getting involved other than he's increasing desperation being more pathetic than I can bear. I'm not the most experienced guy in this area, and as I seem to find myself in positions where girls are interested in me with little to no effort (not entirely sure why it is, but my assumption is it's a combination of being confident and not caring about becoming involved with anyone specifically). There's a good chance that it could go very poorly and do more harm than good. How do the escapians feel about the concept of assisting a pick up, can this kind of relationship ever be long lasting and meaningful? More importantly, is the community able to produce examples (not necessarily similar circumstances, just general wingman stories)[footnote]I've only recently discovered the footnote function, and yes, I have basically been using it at every opportunity...I like it. This footnote doesn't actually add anything to my post.[/footnote].
