The Rocket

Issue date: 1/18/08 Section: Opinion

During winter break, I developed a new obsession: Craigslist.

While I could have been spreading holiday cheer or volunteering to read books to deaf children or something equally rewarding, I was skulking through posts on "Missed Connections" and "Free," which consists of weird stuff people are trying to give away. I think that is one of the most telling things about a culture, the kind of stuff they're willing to give away for free.

And not only do we give away "the Bible on tape/coffee warmer/cell phone case/Sony cassette Walkman," we love to post personal ads, which is a different sort of a free offer.

Not a day goes by where I can't go on Craigslist and find a completely ridiculous personal ad. Apparently people with diverse interests find each other, though interests generally range from promiscuous sex to hookups in the Super 8 to Marcel Proust. Quite obviously, some posters on Craigslist are the types who "forget" to put "NO PRISONERS" in their newspaper personal ads. Hilarity thus ensues.

Speaking of prisoners, I'm sure some news-watchers remember the Craigslist murder story, where a man posing as a mother looking for a babysitter lured a woman to his house where he promptly murdered her. This shows that the painfully stupid and killers alike can and do post on Craigslist. It certainly makes for an interesting read.

It seems to me that this is an often-overlooked site that gives you an interesting perspective on the Pittsburgh region. I never knew there were so many cross-dressers who have an affinity for clowns. Nor did I know that people expect other people to reply to their "Missed Connections" posting.

For those of you who don't know, "Missed Connections" is a section on the site where you can post a description of a person you saw at a given location-say, the Cranberry Target-that you thought seemed interesting. The format is generally as follows:

You: With the long black hair in the pinstripe pants and red jacket, looking at the Windex.

Me: Watching you from the sponge section. I thought you were cute. Let's get coffee!

Apparently these posters actually expect the unsuspecting woman looking at the Windex to browse Craigslist, see the posting, and not be completely creeped out.

Maybe that's not even the case. Maybe that woman wouldn't be alarmed because she is a serial "Missed Connections" Woman. A person whose sole purpose in life is to make eye contact with strangers in public, in hopes of being mentioned on the site. They hang around malls, supermarkets, clubs and Steelers games, keeping track of every man they manage to smile at. Then they run home, get on the computer, and wait to see if anyone just couldn't help but post on Craigslist in the hopes of reaching them.

It's even more amusing when two posts come up from different posters about the same woman. I wonder how hot this woman had to be to attract two Craigslist lurkers. Then I wonder how many people actually reply to posts looking for them. Probably not many.

Either way, Craigslist is a source of endless amusement. Someone is always selling something weird, or looking to buy something weird. You get to see what people do when they think they are anonymous and what limbs they are willing to go out on. I think a world in which people would speak as candidly as they do on Craigslist would be interesting, albeit a bit disturbing at times.

Overall, however, it is an interesting part of the Internet that is generally overlooked. I kind of hope this column serves to generate interest in the site, which in turn will result in more crazy posts. I have no doubt that the Slippery Rock University community is up to that.


Lisbeth Wells-Pratt is a sophomore creative writing major and a regular contributor toThe Rocket.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools