Odd Surveys

In college, I participated in a number of creepy surveys and experiments, etc.. for extra cash.

One time I met this old dude at a popular study location on campus. He claimed to have been attempting to dissect popular "hook-up" culture among college-aged students in his thesis. For $25 (and probably the rest of my innocence), I sat there and told him how "hooking up" worked at college parties. A play by play. His questions weren't *that* creepy- I recall a few being like, "Do you exchange numbers? If so, when? Who asks?" I also recall him asking me "I heard about a 'butter face.'" It became clear to me that he was also talking to broke college guys too. When I told J this years later he immediately labeled this old man a f*cking creep and didn't buy the thesis story for one second. He was disgusted w this guy.

Another time I *almost* particpated in some sort of weekend-long gynelogical study for thousands of dollars. Maybe $1K? $3K? I don't remember. I dreamt of the great Xmas gifts I would be able to buy my family with that kind of money. I went to the doctor's office appointment before the study began in a bad area of town. I think my now-pregnant college roomie was with me (she was smart enough to not even consider participating in some weird gynelogical study). What turned me off wasn't the gynelogical aspect of it, but the office was so run down and shabby. And filled with legitimately poor people who were doing this for the money. The doctors didn't appear put together well and I saw a bunch of them smoking cigarettes out front. It felt like a place where fake doctors go to pretend they are doctors and to simultaneously take advantage of poor people. The whole thing felt wrong. So in the doctor's office, I was with a nurse or someone asking me questions before I was to have my first gynelogical exam (before they administer meds that do who-knows-what). I said to her, 'I don't want to do the study anymore.' She leaned in and whispered to me, 'Is it because it's...... gynelogical?' And I just said "Yes," because it would require the least explanation. But what I wanted to say is that there is no way that I want to (a) spend a weekend at this sh*thole (b) allowing your unprofessional doctors out front to shove weird medications up my hoo-ha, (c) while feeling guilt-free about taking advantage of all the TRULY poor people out front. The people that were not in college, did not come from homes where people would kill them for even considering participating in such a study, etc...

Anyway, J's home. Gotta run.