But don't write off our cold-hearted generation just yet. There are still star-crossed hopefuls awaiting their Romeo.
Since the 1930s, lovelorn Shakespeare fans have been sending their romantic wishes to Juliet Capulet, arguably the most lovesick leading lady in history via her hometown of Verona, Italy. These letters consist of hopeful poems and dreams, expressing love found, lost or gone awry. The messages are basically proclamations or prayers to the universe, aiming to reunite lovers.
This phenomenon was recently depicted in the 2010 film Letters to Juliet. I have not seen the film, but have frequented Verona and know of Club di Giulietta, the Italian organization that receives and responds to the optimistic notes. It's no match-making company, but the respondents typically give advice to the mainly American writers from the dame Capulet's perspective.
The trend is dependant upon fate, something that has steadily lost its ground in pop-culture over the past few decades. Some consider soul mates to made from a checklist rather than found. Doctor? Check. Funny? Check. Good dancer? Check. So, soul mate? Sure. My bachelorette friend McKenzie plans on having a Hawaiian wedding for her second marriage, yet she hasn't even found a fiance for her first. With examples like these many would consider romance to really be dead, so why are there still those losers writing to a fictional teenage girl from the 16th century?
These twitterpated dreamers have taken advantage of a network at home sending there love into the cyperworld. Yes, Missed Connections from Craigslist.org is promoting the idea of fate and love. Everyday hundreds of users write about love found, lost or gone awry to an anonymous network hoping that someone will recognize their description and respond with suggestions, advice or more often than not, the real life Romeo they've called for.
Here is an example from a post entitled "Things I never got to say" written by a poster who calls themselves Babybear:
"...your soul still haunts me and drives me to remember many good times. I know you may never read this but I love you."
If Babybear's former lover read this bit of poetry, they could email the address embedded in the post. Otherwise, it is just a fraction of a broken heart sent out for the universe to absorb.
Below is an excerpt from a post called "Stupid Socks":
"I left the spare key on the table
Never really thought I'd be able to say
I never want to see you again
I lost my whole life and a dear friend."
Sappy, sentimental with a touch of pathetic, but nonetheless, the lonely and broken hearted are bearing their cyber-souls for the world to read, while anxious for a response.
Craigslist is one of the ultimate internet tools of today, from job/apartment hunting to acting as an online yard sale. But could romance moderator be added to that list? Of course. In a way, Craisglist is working as Shakespeare's self-sacrificing heroine by providing a platform for those desperate, distraught and in-love. And it's comforting to know that even today, lovers are still believing in poetic justice.
As I have come to depend on, well-written, informative and easy to understand. Columnists that I read regularly have to be or else, well, they fall off my A list.
ReplyDeleteBut... the Craigslist connection - from the clever headline - needed to hit much, much higher in the column.
It's also possible that the writer could have made the entire column out of the Italy references. Those were very interesting.
Or gone almost all Craigslist instead.
Still, the column holds together well and reads so smoothly that I went from Verona to cyberspace with barely a bump.
Oh!!!! And John Hughes is, well, Hughes, not Hughs...