By Miss Mandi
The man I met on Facebook was a psycho. After pretending to be this intelligent dude online, I realised he was a real ‘ghetto man’
A week ago someone on my Twitter timeline went on a rant about how her friend had been catfished (to be convinced someone is who they say they are on Facebook when in reality they are different). Having once fallen into the trap, I felt her pain.
Yeah, I know, what was I thinking! (Don’t cast a stone. This is what happens when a girl is smoked from the love pot…)
I had been flirting with this guy on Facebook. He was a regular customer at the sneakers shop where I worked and I kinda felt his online vibe. I had met him once but I could not remember his face well plus the photo he had posted online was a bit blurry. (I have a very photographic memory and I remember almost everyone I meet, his or her dress code, fragrance or a peculiar habit).
He initiated the first small talk and before I knew it, my face turned red whenever his message popped: The adrenaline rush, the sweaty palms, I mean, he was really cool!
One day he showed up at the sneakers shop and introduced himself and you can imagine the spark in my eyes. Nothing seemed ‘off’ about him. He invited me for dinner and I couldn’t turn down his offer. Not after all the effort, right?
He picked me up and we proceeded to a Chinese restaurant in town. As per my golden rule, I called my girlfriends to inform them where I was just in case the guy decided to turn into a ‘vampire’ (pun intended).
Everything seemed cool, or do I say to be falling into place? The conversation was flowing; the appetisers had been munched down until it came time for the main course. The waiter brought everything, but forgot the chopsticks.
That is when all hell broke loose. All of a sudden, my date became furious. He shouted, “Where are my chopsticks? You think a brother can’t use chopsticks?”
I was surprised and embarrassed. I tried to calm him down as the waiter rushed to the table with the chopsticks.
Mad, I demanded to know what the fuss was about.
“I hate terrible service and I will always make it a point to be heard. You know, being a ‘brother’ you don’t get the respect you deserve out in these streets,” came his rude response.
I was thrown all the way off. How will you get respect if you are yelling in order to be ‘heard’?
He, however, apologised claiming he had overreacted. After dinner he suggested we catch a movie and since I wanted it to end on a good note, I agreed.
We arrived to the theatre and luckily got seats. The movie began with an overview of New York City and believe it or not, my date out of the blues, stood up and shouted “Manhattan, that’s my city”!
I sat there with my mouth agape. When he was done embarrassing himself, I excused myself to the ladies. That was my last stroke. He called me several times but I ignored his calls.
That man was psycho and had ‘hood rat’ tendencies. After pretending to be this intelligent dude online, I realised he was a real ‘ghetto man’. That right there ladies and gentlemen is what we call being catfished.
We currently live in a digital world where we meet people online and from the way they talk and act, they seem cool. But wait till you meet the face hiding behind the screen. It is an awful experience.
In order to avoid being catfished, when you start flirting with someone, take it slow. Don’t seem too eager to meet them and don’t display your ‘thirst’ (lust) for them.
Do your homework on this person. Find out how they really look, study their moves online and who they talk to. This can give an indication of who they can be or who their circle is.
Another great way to vet a person online is to ask one of your friends to start flirting with them just to see if they will catch the bait. Check if what they tell your friends matches up with what he has told you.
When it comes to meeting them, ensure it is in a public place and tell at least two friends where you are going. Set an emergency system between you and your friend so that they know when to bail you out. These online streets are not safe, some people pretend to be someone they are not just to get them someone.
Have you ever been ‘catfished’? Tweet me your experience @missmandii
