I have always thought that advice columns were scripted. I don’t know what kind of idiot actually spills their problems in a letter published in a syndicated column nationwide. If I wanted to whine, I’d do it here. That being said, advice columns in general are a rather interesting experiment in human nature. Take Ask Amy.

January 16th:

DEAR AMY: I’m a 17-year-old guy with above-average intelligence. I’m so unlike most people my age that dating has always been a bit of a problem for me. I’m simply not attracted to most girls my age. I want to find somebody who will provoke both my heart and my mind.

Is it that you’re intelligent, or the people around you are idiots? Love your ego. Whine whine, nerd never gets the girl, whine wine. Typical mushy love story letter. Never mind that though, here’s an answer to a letter in her January 30 column:

As your letter points out, the virtues of life on the Web are also its deficits. People can easily meet and develop relationships, but the problem with developing relationships with strangers is that strangers have no reason to respect your privacy - especially if you don’t. Your story is yet another reason why life online has become not only messy but also boring. People who live a virtual life don’t have actual experiences. Their blogs tend to reflect that.

I can’t understand why people are so hungry to share their every waking thought with the rest of the world - and I certainly don’t understand why people are interested in reading these musings, personal details and outright lies.

I, of course, love how an advice columnist is telling people to shut up and quit telling people their useless opinions about personal details.