While it’s probably uncouth to ever think one culture is better or worse than another, Americans enjoy certain freedoms in the United States that can often be taken for granted.
Here’s a new one to add to the list:
You don’t have to online date like a Palestinian.
In a surprising move, it was announced the Palestinian Authority’s Supreme Fatwa Council is allowing men and women to participate in online dating.
However, it’s a bit different than the online dating you’re familiar with in the States.
For the first part, women are not allowed to post pictures of themselves. Many people attempt online dating here in America without pictures of themselves, but it certainly makes it much more difficult to establish any attraction or responses.
And that seems to be the point of the rule. They don’t want anything in these online dating pictures that could “stir instincts and awaken desires.”
In fact, the transactions must be purposed with the sole goal of finding a marriage partner. This seems to be a gray area in application. How do you write emails that only have marriage-minded intentions in the subtext?
“I know my Italian family would find it a
dream to be present at my first dates.”
Women aren’t allowed to disclose personal details.
Men find nothing but age, sex and location to differentiate a potential partner.
Dates also must occur in the presence of the woman’s relatives. The man and woman are required to refrain from chatting or speaking in a soft or submissive tone in which the family could not hear their conversation.
It would seem the setup would be one the average American male would hate: no pictures, no information, an emphasis on marriage and group dates with her family.
But for women, one thing is clear, these approaches would make women feel intrinsically much safer about online dating. It would be hard to be taken advantage of with your whole family present, and you know that man would be on his best behavior.
I know my own big, nosy, gossipy Italian family would find it a dream come true to be present at my first dates.
And for those women who are marriage-minded, they wouldn’t have to question a man’s intent.
Would you still want to online date if these kinds of rules were applied in the good ol’ USA?
