Where else can I get my human relations fix?
May 14, 2012 1:37 PM Subscribe
I love AskMefi for many things, but ultimately it comes down to being super-nosy about other people's lives, and the human relations questions are my favorite. What other sites should I be checking out to satisfy my curiosity about other people's lives and problems, as well as thoughtful advice and insight? I'm a big fan of Carolyn Hax's column, but am drawing a blank at what other sites I should try out.
Any advice column, but specifically the Savage Love podcast.
Be prepared to feel a lot of "oh my God, I can't believe people* are this [ignorant/naive/whatever you feel is right but the opposite of it**]" but if you're a regular AskMe reader, no offense meant, you're probably used to that. In fact, I know for a fact that my nosiness in this regard has made me MUCH less judgmental in "real life."
* In the case of Dear Prudence, "people" often means the columnist, not just those asking the questions. But there's educational and entertainment value in that as well, I think.
** Yes, I'm studiously avoiding using the word 'wrong' -- see, less judgmental.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:52 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
Be prepared to feel a lot of "oh my God, I can't believe people* are this [ignorant/naive/whatever you feel is right but the opposite of it**]" but if you're a regular AskMe reader, no offense meant, you're probably used to that. In fact, I know for a fact that my nosiness in this regard has made me MUCH less judgmental in "real life."
* In the case of Dear Prudence, "people" often means the columnist, not just those asking the questions. But there's educational and entertainment value in that as well, I think.
** Yes, I'm studiously avoiding using the word 'wrong' -- see, less judgmental.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:52 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
You'll love Cary Tennis.
Also, Love Letters at Boston.com is pretty good, and has (often) insightful comments.
posted by Melismata at 1:52 PM on May 14, 2012 [3 favorites]
Also, Love Letters at Boston.com is pretty good, and has (often) insightful comments.
posted by Melismata at 1:52 PM on May 14, 2012 [3 favorites]
The Hairpin has some really great series of advice columns! Ask a Lady, Ask a Dude, and Ask a Queer Chick, to name a few. (The bonus is you usually get personal stories on the answerer's end, too!)
posted by jeudi at 1:56 PM on May 14, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by jeudi at 1:56 PM on May 14, 2012 [5 favorites]
Miss Manners is my fave for this.
posted by cairdeas at 1:57 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by cairdeas at 1:57 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
I recommend Askphilosophers.org. The questions and answers posted there vary from abstruse to human.
posted by jwhite1979 at 2:04 PM on May 14, 2012
posted by jwhite1979 at 2:04 PM on May 14, 2012
I love the Dear Sugar column for this.
posted by logic vs love at 2:09 PM on May 14, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by logic vs love at 2:09 PM on May 14, 2012 [6 favorites]
I actually love Miss Manners for this. She's sort of about manners, but mostly about what civilized behavior might look like, at a more meta level than spoon order.
posted by small_ruminant at 2:12 PM on May 14, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by small_ruminant at 2:12 PM on May 14, 2012 [4 favorites]
Dear Prudence is only fun if you enjoy mind-blowingly bad advice.
If you DO enjoy terrible advice, you might enjoy the column FHM used to have by Chopper Reid & Jenna Jamison. However, it doesn't seem to be online. If you find any FHMs from 10 years ago, though, check them out.
posted by small_ruminant at 2:17 PM on May 14, 2012 [3 favorites]
If you DO enjoy terrible advice, you might enjoy the column FHM used to have by Chopper Reid & Jenna Jamison. However, it doesn't seem to be online. If you find any FHMs from 10 years ago, though, check them out.
posted by small_ruminant at 2:17 PM on May 14, 2012 [3 favorites]
I am a massive fan of the Risk! podcast for exactly this reason (and the Savage LoveCast mentioned above, as well). I love hearing just how varied the human experience can be.
posted by bunderful at 2:24 PM on May 14, 2012
posted by bunderful at 2:24 PM on May 14, 2012
Find some old Loveline episodes--I think the ones from the early 00's are the best. Endlessly fasciating and the calls can actually cover a pretty wide range of topics.
posted by lovableiago at 2:28 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by lovableiago at 2:28 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
Oops, to clarify the above: I mean the Loveline episodes on the radio, not the TV show.
posted by lovableiago at 2:28 PM on May 14, 2012
posted by lovableiago at 2:28 PM on May 14, 2012
Although there's often a lot of repetition, and the quality of both the questions and answers can vary widely, it sounds like you'd probably be interested in a number of the relationship-oriented discussion boards over at reddit:
http://www.reddit.com/r/relationships/
The sidebar on this page lists another half dozen or so subreddits that cover much of the relationship territory.
When the relationship threads get a bit claustrophobic over here, I find reddit a nice change of pace, even though I'd give this place the edge when it comes to answers that can be thought provoking beyond merely addressing the question at hand. YMMV
posted by 5Q7 at 3:02 PM on May 14, 2012 [4 favorites]
http://www.reddit.com/r/relationships/
The sidebar on this page lists another half dozen or so subreddits that cover much of the relationship territory.
When the relationship threads get a bit claustrophobic over here, I find reddit a nice change of pace, even though I'd give this place the edge when it comes to answers that can be thought provoking beyond merely addressing the question at hand. YMMV
posted by 5Q7 at 3:02 PM on May 14, 2012 [4 favorites]
Dear Coquette (formerly Dear Coke Talk) is fun - I have exactly the same vice and she's one of my favorites.
posted by restless_nomad at 3:11 PM on May 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad at 3:11 PM on May 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
Ask Reddit
It's not just human relations, and the answers vary between amazing and "Oh my god, I can't believe anyone said that." but when it's good it's really good.
posted by nooneyouknow at 5:38 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
It's not just human relations, and the answers vary between amazing and "Oh my god, I can't believe anyone said that." but when it's good it's really good.
posted by nooneyouknow at 5:38 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
I frequently read a lot of the already mentioned columns, but I also like this blog which hasn't been listed yet: Ask a Manager, which is workplace-related and often fascinatingly weird.
posted by vegartanipla at 6:08 PM on May 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by vegartanipla at 6:08 PM on May 14, 2012 [2 favorites]
Late to the game, but New York Magazine's Sex Diaries are great for private-life rubbernecking and silent judgment.
posted by no regrets, coyote at 7:28 PM on May 14, 2012
posted by no regrets, coyote at 7:28 PM on May 14, 2012
The Ethicist in the NYT is good for this, too - a lot of the questions aren't really ethics questions, but it's still fun. They just hired a new ethicist for the year so the voice will be a bit different I assume. It's published every Sunday.
posted by k8lin at 12:45 PM on May 16, 2012
posted by k8lin at 12:45 PM on May 16, 2012
The podcast of Savage Love is pretty good, because he actually gets to call people back sometimes, and occasionally he just totally nails someone's situation along with the advice.
I wish I could remember which episode it was, but a woman rang up wanting to confess to a friend of hers that she'd been having an affair with the friends husband before he died. Dan just turned on her, and said people don't generally just fall into bed with their "friends" husbands, and wasn't this actually just motivated out of some kind of desire to further twisting the knife on this poor woman who was already a widow?
I was a little surprised at the accusation, and there was just this long, long silence, and in a kind of "I don't care" kinda voice the caller just said, "Yeah, yeah I guess it is".
Wow.
When Dan has a few more cues, like their tone of voice, or is able to ask questions, I think he is often more spot-on than he is in the traditional written advice column, even though it's more off-the-cuff and informal.
Fascinating!
posted by Elysum at 7:48 PM on May 16, 2012
I wish I could remember which episode it was, but a woman rang up wanting to confess to a friend of hers that she'd been having an affair with the friends husband before he died. Dan just turned on her, and said people don't generally just fall into bed with their "friends" husbands, and wasn't this actually just motivated out of some kind of desire to further twisting the knife on this poor woman who was already a widow?
I was a little surprised at the accusation, and there was just this long, long silence, and in a kind of "I don't care" kinda voice the caller just said, "Yeah, yeah I guess it is".
Wow.
When Dan has a few more cues, like their tone of voice, or is able to ask questions, I think he is often more spot-on than he is in the traditional written advice column, even though it's more off-the-cuff and informal.
Fascinating!
posted by Elysum at 7:48 PM on May 16, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
So is Slate, Dear Prudence.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:43 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]