We’re talking about the age-old ways people connect with each other. And new ones.

We’re considering the power of the internet when you’re a skinny teenage boy projecting a mega-macho massively be-muscled avatar into the Internet to impress a girl with the vulgar language you think is okay because anything goes when you don’t have to look a person straight in the eye.

We’re talking about what happens when you have to look your new friend in the eye… and talk… and listen!

We’re talking being so obsessed with someone that you check to see if they’ve contacted you on Facebook or MySpace or email or text or IM so often that it keeps you from functioning properly. We’re talking about when you cyberstalk them when they don’t contact you every five minutes.

We’re talking about dating after 12 years of marriage with a career in
full bloom, two kids, no time and a host of dating sites promising to
deliver your soul mate based on 4, 432 points of compatibility but that
delivers the peculiar person you’re looking at across the table.

Yes. We’re talking about all of that.

We’re talking about hooking up. We’re talking about all those things
you’re saying aren’t sex, but ARE. We’re talking about self-esteem.
About mutual respect. About making smart decisions that say, “I am the
star of my life,” but that don’t put others in the role of throw-away
bit players.

We’re talking about sexual health. Sexual infections. All the really
icky, and potentially life-threatening things you don’t want to think
about or aren’t able to think about after your fourth drink and your
shirt is halfway over your head.

We’re talking about making touching safer when you touch.

We’re talking about the things you want to talk about. So, here, in
this first of what I hope will be many talks, I want to hear from you.
I want to hear what you’d like to talk about. Shoot me a question. A
scenario. A paralyzing conundrum. What what!? Let’s start talking.

This is The [YOU] Talk. Let’s go.