The Problem of Where. (noun). The problem of determining which specific locations in the physical world one should go to, if one's aim is to meet new people. --- There appear to be no permanent locations specifically designed to solve this problem. When a person asks any question of the general form: > _Where are we supposed to meet new people these days?_ The asker nearly always receives a series of total non-sequiturs, such as: - "Take a pottery class" - "Go to the gym" - "Sit at a coffee shop" - "Just approach people at the grocery store" These may be well-meaning attempts to answer the question of where, but their irrelevance to the question highlights the severity of the problem. Sure, one _can_ meet new people at these places. It is also technically possible to meet new people in the Sahara desert, during a root canal at the dentist, or in a gas station bathroom. But those places are surely not designed to make it easier. After all: - Pottery classes are for pottery. - The gym is for working out. - Coffee places are for coffee, and act more as a second office than a genuine [[The Third Place|third place]]. - Grocery stores are for... well... you get the idea. None of these places is designed specifically for helping you to meet new people. To be sure, with enough initiative or desperation, one can absolutely overcome this barrier, and meet new people anywhere. The individuals who ask the question: > _Where are we supposed to meet people these days?_ are not lacking in social skills. They are bemoaning the total absence of locations _specifically designed_ to solve this problem. As obvious as that may be, one still somehow encounters skeptics. Primarily online, these people claim to be unconvinced that the question of "Where to meet people?" is a genuinely unsolved problem. Such individuals appear to suffer from a form of what has come to be called [[Extroverted Autism]]. Extroverted Autism is a debilitating condition, but it is not uncommon, and it is important to treat those who suffer from it with patience and compassion. Rather than ridicule these individuals, it is often sufficient to sit with them as they read [[Where To Find People|the following list of screenshots]].