... in response to Re: Wow, posted by thesearch on May 20, 2002I'm not sure that you can say that the number of scammers is rising, and that the number of good women is declining.
I think that in many ways, the number of good women may in fact be on the rise, because there have been more success stories.
The scammers may becoming more of a business, and capable of more mass-market scamming... but I think they are for the most part still easy to spot.
I don't buy the fact that every time a man writes a woman and doesn't go over that a scammer is born. I think it is just as possible that for every woman who comes over and has a good marriage that ten more of her friends consider it as a viable idea.
And as for the quality of women going down, I don't buy that either. As the foreign bride concept catches on, a wider spectrum of women -- all types -- will be answering ads. It may mean that you find non-stereotypical women, but that doesn't make them scammers. Or even bad women. Just not what you expected...
Besides... All of these numbers are so anecdotal, that it really doesn't mean anything.
My instinct tells me that things may have evolved, but this is probably a good thing. Many of the first "marriages" came as a result of the "big tours and socials". I think that these have fallen into disfavor... but not because all of the good ones were taken, but rather because these things were a bad idea to begin with, and only now has enough data been compiled to show guys that it isn't good.
In the early days, they were successful simply because they were the major thrust of the "MOB" business. The internet wasn't as strong as it is now, and the small botique shops were not there yet.
Now, as the internet provides a means for more people tom communicate more easily, I think that it has shifted from a "MOB" Business to an internet Personals site with an international flair. I don't see that as all bad.
But, the Big Tour companies, anxious to keep the lucrative business (which is mostly fantasy, lets face it) is having to let "professional" and "semi-professional" women work the socials to keep the "new marks" coming in. I think the days of the big tour and social are numberd... and I say, thank God for that!
But I really don't think that good women are staying away from American Men. I think they just are staying away from socials. And, probably the big "Marriage Agencies".
I think a personal ad placed in the newspapers in Ukraine or Russia will net you a better reult today than five years ago. I think this simply because more of the women who would not have considered it before may know someone now who has done it. Some of the stigma is gone.
I have nothing to back that up. It's just an instinct I get from the women I've written to. Even comparing it to just a year ago, I see a difference...
And the difference is not bad... IMHO
