Straight Gay Reviews
Welcome to SGR - Straight Gay Reviews! Yes, I'm Gay, hence the name. I'm Rumeal; it's like Ru Paul & a Meal you'd eat! Feel free to share this with anyone; SGR started as a movie review channel, which I did with a friend. However, it has morphed into something I love doing: learning from others and networking. There are many different segments; I hope you have time to listen to them when you can, and they provide value in your world. Oh, if you want the visuals check us out on YouTube.
Straight Gay Reviews
Relationship Realism: Dating Apps and Modern Love
Navigating the choppy waters of dating apps in 2025 feels like a full-time job requiring its own specialized skill set. We're pulling back the curtain on our personal experiences with platforms like Blk, Bumble, and the particularly problematic Facebook Dating to reveal what's really happening behind those carefully curated profiles.
The digital dating landscape has created a culture of instant gratification and unreasonable expectations. We dissect the psychology behind those annoying "WYD" messages, the paradox of stating your intentions only to attract the exact opposite, and the curious case of "Caspers" – those friendly ghosts who appear and vanish at their convenience. Are premium dating app features worth the money? Spoiler alert: probably not when they're showing you matches from three states away.
Despite our collective skepticism, we acknowledge that meaningful connections can form through these platforms – from marriages to lasting friendships. But perhaps the most valuable insight we share is surprisingly old-school: consider where you'd want your ideal partner to spend their Saturday afternoons, and start showing up in those spaces yourself. Whether it's a bookstore, gym, or even Chuck E. Cheese with the kids, authentic connections might be waiting where algorithms can't reach. And if you're still swiping, remember our essential safety tips: share your location, meet in public places, and always prioritize your wellbeing in this complicated digital dating world.
Welcome to Shregate Reviews. It's your boy SGR, and your girl Mani Mani.
Speaker 2:Hi everybody.
Speaker 1:Hey Mani, how have you been?
Speaker 2:I've been good. How have you been, Been Life's been. Life is for everybody, but I'm trying to just remain as positive as possible.
Speaker 1:You know speaking of, you know trying and positive as possible. You know speaking, you know trying and positive as possible. I think today's topic is kind of funny because dating apps in 2025, like what for the straights? We got bumble, we got tinder. I mean, those do work for the gays too, but you know, jacked is for the gays. Growler, all of these different versions like growler, growler, growler, probably, I don't know, I only know the black one which is jacked, and facebook dating, which we got some story times for facebook dating. But before we get into that, because you know it's kind of like funny, um, have you ever used any online dating apps before?
Speaker 2:I have. I used used Black and I used Facebook dating.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, black. What was the experience with that one Be okay. I remember telling someone I was like do you mean to be okay? I was like you mean Black. I'm like they probably should have spelled it a little bit differently than that, because you know, I'm just like you mean be okay with Black. I'm like, oh, okay, I liked.
Speaker 2:Black. It definitely gave a different caliber. There's another one that a friend is on now I can't think of the name of it off the top of my head, but she enjoys it. It's only Upper East Shalom.
Speaker 1:No, the Black app. My experience I got weird like experience a weird few experiences from black. I got a weird few experiences from Facebook dating. It's actually where I met somebody that won't talk to you no more.
Speaker 2:Facebook dating is where I met BS.
Speaker 1:Maybe we shouldn't do Facebook dating, because that explains why you. Just because, like, I feel like what made facebook dating appealing to me originally was like okay, well then, if we have mutual friends, I can find out more about you and see who you really are. Or yeah, before you know, you get into it.
Speaker 2:But then I was like it's weird, um, and I wasn't even on facebook dating for long, because the, the men are just dating is weird, but on facebook dating I feel like it's weirder, like there would be. There was a couple of guys that were like, um, I'm divorcing, almost divorced, today was a very good step. I'm excited about that, yes, but if I say, like you know, I'm divorced because we manifest all good things around these parts, amen, the one man called me a quitter because I got a divorce. The other one said I didn't answer fast enough to his messages, you know, and he said no one is divorced.
Speaker 1:Hmm, I think that's a weird hold on, hold on. Can we unpack that really quickly? Because, like, it is 2025 and in the year, everything I guess people think, and that's year in the year. Everything I guess people think and that's maybe why the dating apps work so well is this instant gratification. You're casting wider net, you're seeing people that you don't usually get to see, but I also think that people demand more out of you yes, when they're not even giving that same energy, and I think that that is the most wildest part of the day.
Speaker 2:I think I don't know, maybe because I'm an old school girly that my current situation, relationship we'll say relationship, I'm not going to say situation Because it started old school, the pursuit, you approach me in a different place and we actually date, those types of things. That's what's missing from the apps, like people will talk to you for a certain amount of time and then, when you guys link up, finally they think it's about sex.
Speaker 1:Well OK, so in the gay world, if anyone says link it's about sex. Well, okay, so in the gay world, if anyone says link, it is about sex. So that's probably bleed it all into the straight world a little bit. But if anybody hit you with you want to link it'll, it'll never mean anything but sex. I'll be like no, no, thank you. No, no, thank you, no, thank you.
Speaker 1:Um, for me it's always just been like I'll get onto a dating app and then I'll delete it in a week, because I'm usually like okay, it's capitalizing too much of my time. When people message you, they'd be able to like oh, I'm expecting you to reply back quickly and all of that stuff which I again, I think is weird. Like I can't work, I can't. My favorite is the obligatory W-Y-D Working. What are you doing Sleeping? What are you doing now Getting ready for work? What are you doing now At the gym? I have a life.
Speaker 1:I get that you're asking these questions to get to know me, but ask a question what are you doing? To me is a question, but it's not a question. I can answer that, jim. Okay, I mean, we know the difference between an open-ended question and a closed-ended question and I feel like, if you want to know, is it sunny, yes, is it snowing, no? And then, like dang you dry. I'm going to feel like what are you giving me more for it to come from? And then I guess back in my perspective, when the energy is like that, I'm just like whatever, go to the next one.
Speaker 2:I energy is like that, I'm just like whatever, go to the next one I'm not like that, because maybe because I'm a conversation kind of person that when someone says why wyd um? I'll respond with hey, I'm in the middle, like I'm, you know, traveling. Now I'm getting ready for a presentation or I'm getting ready for dinner because I'm about to go. You know, network, those types of things you can do more than just, oh, I'm at the gym, that type of thing, but I definitely am.
Speaker 1:You can tell the guys that are just wid into link I was, I was id that are really trying to get to know you I was waiting for you to come and see my side, because I'm gonna feel like ma'am we just had a whole conversation about Winkie and then you're going to say I can tell the difference. I don't think you can.
Speaker 2:I can tell the difference and I recently went from Mr BS, who always was WID WID, to Mr Be ready at seven, be ready at six, be ready at eight. Because I don't want to be your pen pal, I'm trying to see you, and Because I don't want to be your pen pal, I'm trying to see you and that the difference there is, yeah, probably immaculate.
Speaker 1:you know, I guess something that I kind of want to get into. Certain apps have different paywalls and I downloaded this one app, duet, and I was like, okay, cool, let's see what it's about. So I paid for the little premium. The premium gives you the ability to see your matches, and this is funny because I'm like, okay, this seems cool. Girl, the matches was nowhere near me. If you want to pay for premium, plus, you can see people that was near you.
Speaker 2:I'm like, oh yeah, y'all, y'all scamming on the highest level I've never paid for, like the premium premium maybe because I wasn't taking dating seriously and someone else said to me they were like you won't pay for it. Then Because I think the one that my friend is on is a little more upper echelon, because they want real people to want to get on it and that's real. But I'm not there yet and I've never thought that I was going to find my significant other on an app Because I'm so old school, because I still want the we fell in love here kind of story, types of things that I don't, I didn't think I was going to find on there.
Speaker 1:Do you feel like I mean, do you feel like it's logical or even like realistic to use these apps to find like your partner?
Speaker 2:It's. It is because there's some that have. I also have a homegirl who met her husband on there. They are the reason, See maybe I don't.
Speaker 2:But there are some people who have met on social media and who have fallen in love. There are people who have met on social media and found their best friends, those types of things They've met in these different places. One of my best friends she met her best friend on I think it was Bumble, and they're besties for the resties. She may have even replaced me technically as her best friend. I don't think that's her. Okay, you know, you felt like I replaced her with you, so of course we love her.
Speaker 1:We've been friends for a circle.
Speaker 2:She didn't want to share, but there are some people who find it, but it just it's going to be some people who find it, but it just it's gonna be rare that you find it. There's so many men on there that I've come across on those apps that either are really busy with work and just wouldn't have time to find someone, but they still aren't really ready. So most of them are like in that really weird like 35 to 45 year old range where they know they shouldn't still be mr player in the club but they also know that it's probably time to settle down or they're going to be alone forever, but they also still want to sneaky link but they're not ready to be in a relationship. Shout out to casper for stressing me out these last couple days because he's going through his he wants a wife phase again.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, you know it's so funny. Sorry, guys, for those who have not seen prior episodes Casper. For a reason they are friendly ghosts. They are there when you need them. Excuse me, they're there when you don't need them.
Speaker 2:When they want to appear, when they want to appear. When they want to appear is when they appear, they be there.
Speaker 1:They be there when they want to appear. But you know, when you're like, hey, what up though, castor, they're like and this is mainly in monty's life, not mine, and I don't know the, the, the, the, the, the, the. I could just keep on going, stuttering the dating world, and I feel like apps confuse more things than anything you know yes, because there's so many apps that are geared toward just the sneaky links to just the links to just the.
Speaker 2:I'm just trying to have a buddy I can can link up and I really appreciate the men that they have matched with me and that were that honest.
Speaker 1:I really am before oh okay, but wait, that's not what I'm looking for well, I crack up because I feel like when I've been honest, and not necessarily with the, the I mean yeah, and then we all have needs and stuff and we all want to have sex. But I'm talking about the times when it's like, hey, you know, I want to build something. It's like I ain't trying to do that. I do find being that you know dating in 2025 and you know I'll just say dating in general, when you state your intentions, I feel like the opposite always comes out of the person's mouth.
Speaker 2:I feel like it's always the ones that you don't think of, that you're like pausing, and you'd be like, oh, I don't know causing. And you'd be like, oh, I don't know, maybe. But every time I've been completely honest like I'm searching for a relationship. For a little while I wasn't. It was high girl summer, I was just looking for a friend and we had fun. But that's not what I want. And when I start having those conversations? I had that conversation with Casper. He said oh, I understand, we started to try to pursue something and it slid straight back into you know, because Casper was the friendly friend, whatever back into our regular routine of things. No, that's not what I want, Buki.
Speaker 1:I regularly scheduled on programming, the one that we don't want. We want more than that.
Speaker 2:We want a mainstay, not a side, we want more than that, and that's not what I'm going for. But when I say no, actually I'm looking for something a little bit more serious. Those types of things will disappear, and then it's every day when are you at? I miss you, I need to see you. Please say I can see you today and I said, oh, the police.
Speaker 1:I think that's wild. That's the part that kind of like throws me down a little bit, because I'm over here like from my perspective and again stating your intentions while dating in 2025 is wild, because Some people will tell you what you want to hear.
Speaker 2:Just sleep with you.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, listen, it's been an interesting time. I will shout out and just say this, because our time is a little limited today, because you're, you know, you're, you're, you're doing some things, but dating with apps to me, it makes it more confusing instead of making it more straightforward. However, I feel like if you go out in public like I haven't went to clubs before and I just this is what I thought was me I don't even, I don't even want to date out a club.
Speaker 2:so I I had a friend who's an older woman who told me when you're looking for your partner, you're ready to settle up On a Saturday. Where would you want your partner to be? He's not home in the bed with me, so he got to break in. She was like no, I always thought that my significant other was going to have to break in because I prefer to be at home in my bed. I am a home body.
Speaker 2:I might have had a lot of fun this last summer Shout out to a whole year of having fun, but we back inside. I'm not an outdoor cat, I am indoor cat. We back inside.
Speaker 1:We going back to that, because I'll never listen, I'll never forget, okay, okay we going back to that?
Speaker 2:because I I'll never listen, I'll never forget, okay, and I'm inside my own house okay, okay, because that was funny, because I was like where are you?
Speaker 1:I'm inside. No, you're not. I I am inside, just not in my own house.
Speaker 2:I'm over, like bro, but regardless, just being real about what it is, what your intentions are, what you want, um can be hard to do that, but she said wherever you would want your man to be at on a saturday to go. So if I want my man to be fixing the house up, let me go to lowe's or home depot and see if he there. Or if I want a golf thing, let me go do a round of golf. If I want them at the movies, let's go to the movies Wherever it is that you would want them. And I joke now my partner. I would want him on a Sunday to be playing with his kid at Chuck E Cheese. And that's where I met my partner playing with his kid at Chuck E Cheese. Because that's what I'm doing on a Saturday or a Sunday playing with his kid at Chuck E Cheese. Because that's what I'm doing on a Saturday or a Sunday playing with my kid at Chuck E Cheese. And here we are very happy that's all I'm gonna listen.
Speaker 1:Listen, you know the big one. I'm over here, that's me, that's what I'm doing. I'm just over here looking, but with, with the ding of the bell, with the ding of the bell, I do have to tell you thank you again and we'll reconvene again next week, because clearly we got to, we got to talk again.
Speaker 2:We do and we can always talk any other time. It doesn't have to just be weekly. We can catch up, do other episodes. We have other cool topics, but for the dating apps, for those of you that are on there, please be careful. Make sure someone has your location. Make sure that you're not just linking in your homes. Try to meet in other places so that you're not giving out your address. Please practice the best of safety and self-care and wrap up and get tested listen.
Speaker 1:We always say that because it's the truth, because I tell you them people listen. You wake up with something.
Speaker 2:No judgment. If you're sleeping with one or a hundred, get tested, keep condoms, do what you need to do. Find you a person in your life, in your world. If you are going to be linking that, you can just send an address.
Speaker 1:They can like the address and never question you, comment or anything else I will say this apple does have a lovely feature called check-in, and if you don't check in we're in alerts go crazy. So all those iphones use that feature. It's really nice. But again, sgr Manny, bye. Everybody Later Bye.