Blind dating is a legitimate way to meet people, but there are a few things to consider before you go into it. First of all, who is making the arrangements? How well do you know this person? How responsible is he or she? How much does he know about your prospective dating partner?
If there is any uncertainty about the blind date, it may be best to decline with thanks or suggest some safe dating situation. You might, for instance, suggest an informal party with several other couples you know. Perhaps your church group is having an outing to which the blind date might be invited as your guest. In blind dating, a good principle is: Take advantage of opportunities, but provide safeguards.

Off Limits

If you’re going out with a boy or girl whom you don’t know well, it’s best to avoid public places the first time. In fact, even if you know your date well, some public places are just not suitable for young people. Many public dance halls, for instance, draw an unscrupulous crowd of people who could cause a difficult situation for you and your date. Bars and roadside taverns have people in them occasionally who might cause trouble. Roaming the streets with or without an escort is risky in certain parts of town.
Likewise, people you meet in public places are rarely suitable dating prospects. Those boys sitting behind you and your girl friends in the movies might quite possibly be nice, but they might also turn out to be roughnecks. It’s much better to ignore them than to take a chance. The boy who cuts in at a community dance may look cute, but he might be more than you can handle if you let him take you home without finding out about him first. As a general rule, it’s safer to stay with people you know or have met through suitable channels.

Pickups

Pickups are risky. It may seem adventurous to stand on a corner and pick up a likely-looking person, but it can be dangerous. The papers are filled with unhappy, sometimes tragic, incidents of teen-agers who took such wild chances. People who use the pickup system are those who for some reason cannot use the ordinary channels for meeting people.
Boys sometimes congregate on corners to whistle at passing girls. It may feel good to be whistled at, but unless you know the boys, it’s not wise to encourage them. Many fellows feel that an easy pickup is “fast,” or else she wouldn’t be out looking for a date in that fashion.
This is not just a matter of concern to girls. Boys too can be exploited by unscrupulous women whom they pick up. There are less risky ways of getting dates than picking them up on street comers.

Safe and Sane

If you want a safe place to meet people—and a place that promises wholesome fun—first look toward your church. Many churches have young people’s programs with activities designed to help you make and keep friends of both sexes. People you meet in a church group are generally the kind who are responsible and respectable.

Community centers, YMCAs, YWCAs, USOs, and neighborhood clubs provide all kinds of interesting programs for teen-agers and young adults. If you want more friends, explore some of your local resources and before you know it you’ll be deep in activity.