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Notes -
I feel like even the crowd of 'people who are not bar people who are actively going to bars to mingle' is kind of dying out, similar with clubs and stuff. 50 years ago just hanging out at the local pub was far more of a mingling opportunity due to lack of options, but now for most people the clubs are a very infrequent thing or only a rite of passage for a year or two.
I do also agree on the male/female interest thing. I believe the genders are far more self-segregating than they were in recent history, meaning that organic meetings are just harder to come by. I similarly managed to grind online apps to the point of doing okay on them, but if the apps were to shut down tomorrow I'd have no idea how I'd happen across a girlfriend with any consistency. Workplace fraternization has a horrible risk/reward and I'm senior enough it's very unlikely I'd run into a female coworker who I wouldn't be doubly-barred from by relative rank/power dynamic. Vast majority of my hobbies are sausage fests, and whilst 'alright go pick up a girl-dominated hobby as a tribute' is a thing, it feels disingenuous.
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