Dating has become desperate and lazy, not for all, but quite a few.

There used to be a time when a man would approach a female like a gentleman. He would politely ask her name, inform her of his name and the two would engage in a deep conversation. Today, unfortunately, this is not how many people begin their first conversation with the opposite sex.

First and foremost, let me start with my reasoning for this conclusion. During a recent on-campus event I was on the phone calling a friend when a guy approached me. He asked if he could use my phone to make a call. I agreed, dialed the number for him and handed him the phone. He then let it ring for a couple seconds, pulled out his phone and handed mine back. His exact words were, “Now you have my number and I have yours, text me sometime.”

My first reaction was utter shock. Walking away, I just could not believe someone would be so desperate that you have to trick a woman in order to get her number. Although some would believe this trick to be cleaver, speaking as a female I think it is very unattractive. Some of my close guy friends I have asked about the situation admitted it was smooth, but very “tricky” and “whack.”

I will be the first to admit, I am practical and have very old-fashioned beliefs when it comes to dating.

I do not expect every man to act like a present-day Clark Gable, but at least approach someone with respect. It seems as though the norm for meeting someone is, “Hey ma”, or “What’s up shawty?”

I believe I carry myself with a great deal of class and dignity, as so many other women do and because of this I refuse to answer to these so-called “cat calls.” What happened to a simple, “Hello my name is John Doe. What’s your name? Can we talk sometime?” I am almost positive for many women this simple phrase will go for a lot more.

It seems as though no one wants to actually take the time to get to know another person but would rather carry on through text messaging. Have we become so lazy that we cannot even take the time to properly ask someone’s name?

I would be very disappointed to find the answer is “yes.” More often than not, the people who are using these methods of communication are only looking for one thing. With this knowledge, can we really blame women for thinking chivalry is dead?

As stated before, this does not apply to everyone. There are those who still open doors, want to engage in an interesting conversation, and who approach women with equal respect. If only we could see more of them and less “Hey ma’s.”

This is not the bellowing of a bitter black woman, but one who knows her self-worth.

• Jasmine Johnson