TaliDaRadical wrote:
If you're a dater, at what age did you start dating? I'm into sociology and anthropology and I wanna study the demographics of dating. (I'm also a non-dater so rest assured
![Cool 8)](./images/smilies/icon_cool.gif)
) It has been said that dating is a 'threshold issue' for us Autie folks. (This will assure you further: I'm also studying start-of-dating ages for different ethnic and religious groups, as well as people in different parts of the country.)
I started "dating" [i.e., being shoved/coerced/wheedled by acquaintainces and family members into uncomfortable social situations with complete strangers] when I was about 16. I must have been the blind-date from hell - "deer in the headlights" look for any unlikely eye contact, almost completely unconversational, and not at all interested in drinking, smoking, or "fooling around."
Now, to be truthful, I didn't really start "Dating" [i.e., have any real interest in what the above scenario was supposed to be] until I was around 24 or 25. That's when the "hmmm, what ARE those uniquely interesting creatures walking around over there" kind of wheedled its way into my thoughts.
Had nothing but trouble with 'em ever since.