Mormon Dating

Dear Every Girl on BYU Campus,

I understand that you have been taught and told since you were 16 years old that girls say yes when boys ask them on a date. This is truly a kind and thoughtful notion, especially because of the anxiety that every boy goes through when he asks a young lady on a date. This worked for high school, but unfortunately I would like to introduce you to the real world, where boys hate drama and miscommunication as much as you do. With that in mind I would like to make a small request that would make a huge difference:

Don't say yes to second dates if you don't like the guy.

Of course there's no reason to be rude or get upset about it. A clear, concise explanation that you're "just not interested" will surely suffice. I moment or two of awkwardness when he attempts to ask you on the second date will pay off in the long run. He'll recover after a week or two and move on to asking the next girl, and you're free to wait for that super cute boy in your Chemistry class to give you a call.

By all means, say yes if you like him. By doing this, you have given him a clear message that you are at least a little interested and you like spending time with him. I am not at all harping on second dates. I'm just trying to clear up the misconception that girls are required to say yes to every date. The current plan of action for girls who aren't interested seems to be as follows: say yes to every date he asks you on, while increasing the awkwardness as needed and avoiding him in every other situation (when possible). Rinse and repeat. Sooner or later he'll get the hint, right?

Wrong.

I write this post with the highest of hopes and the lowest of expectations; hopefully my words and hypothetical situations will shock the BYU dating pool into setting some ground rules and increasing its level of communication.

Sincerely,
One Significantly Bothered Boy