Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only 10 I see.

       That was a pick up line.

       But did it work? Do you feel romantically attracted to me? No? Makes sense. Pick up lines are a very weird thing in our society because, despite their name, they don’t work.

        When asked, Lizzy Laurelli, 11, stated, “They just feel corny.” But this begs the question: since they’re corny, then what’s the point? 

       Well, it may be because they act as a shield against embarrassment. Think about it: purposely acting corny feels less embarrassing when asking someone out than accidentally messing up and saying something corny. 

       Embarrassment is something everyone goes through in life. Whether it be saying something stupid in front of friends, using a pick up line and thinking it was good, or failing to define America in a single word (I love you Boe Jiden). How we deal with embarrassment differs from person to person, but one of the more popular ways to deal with it is to play it off like it was intentional. By doing this, people attempt to avoid the embarrassment of making a mistake by acting like it’s normal because it makes them feel a little better about themselves. 

       But let’s say for a moment that it works, your pick up line was so smooth that your crush likes you back, now what? Do you make an effort to see that person each day or do you pull a romance show and wait four years just to hold hands then break up in like two hours (PLEASE stop making this trash.) The first weeks of a relationship (mostly high school) are usually the scariest moments as that’s when most people break up as in those first weeks you’re finding out if you’re actually compatible with that person or not. After that you’re in the long run, which is where most relationships reside. While in this phase you might feel less interested in your partner, but you must push forward to reach the goal.

       The goal (eventually) is marriage. Now it may be scary, but Glynn Wolfe did it 31 times so it clearly can’t be that bad. After that you reach the decision if you want to have kids and lose your sanity, money, happiness, youth, and so much more just by saying yes to wanting to have kids. Then another 30-50 years later, you’re old and drinking juice in a retirement home while your grandkids visit you and talk about things in school that you would have never dreamed of. And when you finally reach the end of your life understand that the most romantic part started from one simple pick up line.

       So after reading all just remember the key words John Doe once told me: “Love is permanent, embarrassment is temporary.”