by Dan Hensley

Created on: June 14, 2010

Laura Gilbert recently wrote an article called "4 Simple Steps To Meeting Someone". As both a participant and observer of society, I want to pick this article apart based on the fact that this author gives bad advice. Everyone is somehow inclined to be social & friendly, even if it is an awkward approach. Gilbert's article is focused on the single crowd, but I think she has touched on an important part of life in America today that extends to people altogether, be they single, married, divorced, widowed, socially phobic, etc.

A life without friends is indeed lonely, however, approaching strangers in the way Gilbert suggests may cause a person more grief than joy.In picking this article apart, I will use her own system in the same format she wrote her article in.

Step #1: Smile and wave

Gilbert starts out with a cute anecdote about how 27 year old Laura Lewis from River Falls, WI, used her lunch hour in line at the bank. In stead of becoming upset, Laura got a telephone number of a cute guy she saw checking her out. In her "Practiciing It" portion of the article Gilbert says:  "Try it on everyone and anyone: the bored workers at the post office, a harried mother in front of you at the checkout aisle, or even the toddler sitting in her cart. As you get used to being a smiler, you’ll start doing it naturally — including at the people you most want to meet."

Why this is bad advice and what the possible consequences are:

Laura and this man who had this mutual and sudden interest in each other could have easily ended up in Federal Prison. They were in a bank and exchanged a note with this man's phone number on it. Had the bank become nervous at this action, innocent as it was, they could have easily been accused of planning a hit on the bank. Even with this possibility removed from the scenario, this man could have easily been accused of "leering" at Laura by a bystander or a bank employee, and he could have been detained by the police. Checking out ladies is equal these days to something much more serious.

Continuing forward, Gilbert's advice to try out the smile & wave on anyone and everyone to include that toddler sitting in a cart could easily have a man in jail for the offense of "luring a minor" or something similar & serious. Our laws are written broadly and are open to insane interpretation by local police & state authorities to include the courts. Bad advice Gilbert! We live in a paranoid society where a smile & wave

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