Being gay and living in a smaller community leads you to some strange experiences with people. For such a rural area, where I live seems to have a lot of gay people.....more than it's share statistically. I suppose thats because of the University here. Who knows. Anyhow.....
The most common method of meeting fellow gays (I prefer the term, "faggots...so Ill use that from now on) is to log into a chatroom and start talking to people.

So, I never cease to be amused by the fact that I can carry on long, deep conversations with people for hours, speak to some people nearly everyday, see someone rarely, but always enjoy talking to them, and then......I dont even know these people's names. I will have extra-chatroom (thats my invention to denote, "outside the chatroom in the real world") conversations with people and references will be made to the likes of "young242wantyou," or "clemency56," or anything like that. Then, sometimes I meet these people out and about and they say, "Hi, my name is Rodney." and I wont have a clue what the fuck they are talking about. Then Rodney will say, "you know ImAMcDonaldsManager24?" and I will suddenly say, "oh yeah!" However, usually what happens is there is a somewhat akward pause.....as if we are both threatened (or maybe its just me, I dunno) by the fact that we are face to face with each other in non-neverland, where the things we say are real because we get to see the faces of each other.

What the hell other sub-culture or anything you want to call it participates in activity like this? Is there any recorded history that leads us to think great societies of the past indulged in this brand of assiduity?

Do straight people reflect our own behavior?

I will make it a mission to address this very thing the next time I meet in person someone from a chatroom. I think these very words will be the first thing I say...even before, "hello, my name is......."

If that doesnt produce the very same damn uncomfortable moment I just described above, Ill be very disappointed.