What does Down To Earth mean: Swingers Discussion 34946101

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What does Down To Earth mean: Swingers Discussion 34946101

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TOPIC: What does Down To Earth mean

Created by: TwoInLA Original Starting post for this thread:
OK. Quite a few profiles include lines such as "we are a down to earth couple" or "looking for down to earth people." What exactly does this phrase mean in the context of swinging? TwoInLA

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User Details are only visible to members.	In my normal fashion, I started to write a small book on what it means to be "down to earth." I came to the conclusion that a cliche has a specific meaning to the person using and it may or may not agree with your meaning. This is why one of the first rules of arguing is to not use a cliche. So in our simple definition of "down to earth" is an intelligent person that takes the time to consider the effects of their actions on their environment. Even that simple definition can have 100 meanings.... and I can hear someone yelling "liberal tree hugger" from here. But environment can mean the person standing next to you or the 300 year old tree in you back yard. Our "down to earth person" would at least hesitate before they would cut down that 300 year old tree to put in a pool that they are going to use 3 times a year. Our "down to earth person" would also take the time to ask you how you day was and really listen to the answer, without a motive.... I personally don't think that our definition is the norm. Most people I have met seem to not consider the feelings of others and are wrapped up in their own little worlds. Jim
Trucksville PA			Username hidden (5 post)

User Details are only visible to members.	I always though down to earth meant you don't put up a facade when meeting new people. Basically, just what you see is what you get.
Denham Springs LA			Username hidden (78 post)

User Details are only visible to members.	For me down to earth means I don't have my head in the clouds and my feet planted solidly in the ground. I don't have unrealistic expectations either of myself, the world or other people. I think it also means..."I swear, Im not weird". When I see down to earth in a profile, I take it to mean that they are people similar to us. They live their life, are concerned with similar things...and take care of their business, ie. their work, their home, their kids without too many quirks. However, I have discovered that some people's version of down to earth is very different than mine, while others, its the same. I think it all depends on your perspective of yourself and your lifestyle. You don't REALLY know a person's perspective of down to earth until you talk to them. In the end, it reveals itself.
Midland TX			Username hidden (17 post)

User Details are only visible to members.	For me (the male half here) "down to earth" is closest to "unpretentious", if I have to think of just one word to describe it. "Professional" is a little trickier to interpret (for me, at least). Usually it suggests a certain education and class level. While you can be both professional and down-to-earth, the two tend to point in opposite directions of the social class scale. In this country we are not allowed to think in terms of "social class", but social classes do exists, so people have to develop code words to substitute for the real thing. "Down to earth" and "professional" are examples of that, although again the correlation with social class--the true, underlying concept--is far from perfect. Parenthetically, for us one of the wonderful things about swinging (other than the obvious excitment of getting to fuck new people from time to time) is the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life, people who we would otherwise never meet in the course of our day-to-day interactions, whether in our professional lives or with our neighbors. We suspect this is true in general, since we all tend to live pretty segregated lives. With swinging we have met--and sometimes very intimately--all kinds: professionals indeed, blue collar types, hill billies, bohemians, soccer moms, you name it. That makes sense. The common thread in all of the above is that they are humans, and therefore they like sex. I wouldn't have it any other way. We certainly don't limit our search to professionals. And, we tend to regard the "down to earth" designation as a positive trait. One final note about professionals. Please don't be in a hurry to call yourself one. It may sound flattering to some (as in, "high status", "upscale", "educated", etc), but it can have a pretty ugly meaning too, as in "whore". See for instance the work by Jeff Schmidt in the web site www dot disciplinedminds dot com. The guy painted such an unflattering picture of professionals that he got himself fired for it! This is a great thread, by the way. I've enjoyed reading the various points of view.
Pittsburgh PA			Username hidden (1153 post)

User Details are only visible to members.	va, my post was not aimed at you it was aimed at the climate here and what professional means here. NOt what it means to others elsewhere.We have quite a few islands called keys here.We have Authors such as stephen king,sportscasters such as dick vitale,the lady that owns publishing clearing house,lead singer for ac dc, actors such as tom cruise along with may others, the liptons retired politicians . This is a very wealthy community .Even with those I have mentioned ,west palm beach has more acummulative wealth then this area.A professional does mean upscale in this area.This is not the normal area we are speaking of that most live in and acquainted with.100,000 puts you in the middle class of this area. This is a very trendy touristy classy area of the states,just like the area in ca,some places in ari.terminology is different in almost any area,upscale in this case does mean professional such as a doctor lawyer,owner of a highly visble business not the plumber,carpenter or other tradesmen that make the trades the largest population of the working force in the united states.
Sarasota FL			Username hidden (2070 post)

User Details are only visible to members.	I knew this topic would generate some heat. I've seen it happen before. In our opinion, specifying a preference for "professionals" doesn't necessarily mean "upscale." It means what it says - a PROFESSION, which, as previously stated, means a career requiring years of advanced training and/or education to achieve entry level status. We know a couple of lawyers who don't make much money because they prefer to represent the underprivileged in our society rather than big corporate interests. We know a doctor who doesn't net very much after expenses because he does a lot of free medical practice in 3rd world countries. People who request "professionals" are just looking for people with whom they have a lot in common. It's no different from stating a preference for 10" dicks, HWP bodies, nonsmokers, motorcycle riders, own age range, or anything else. It's a PREFERENCE, and is neither right nor wrong just because someone else doesn't share the same preference. None of this is about instituting a class system. It's about finding other people with whom you are most likely to be compatible, meaning you share a lot of common interests and experiences, and you have something to talk to each other about besides "was it good for you?". If you're in the construction business, and I manage a mutual fund or a pension plan, we're not likely to have a lot of common interests and experiences. I'm more likely to have things in common with high level business executives, doctors, lawyers, bankers, etc. That doesn't mean I would be any better than you (and such people are NOT better, either in regard to personality or ethics), but it does mean that I would have more in common with some people than with others, and so would be more comfortable socializing (and having sex with) people I can talk to, whose business I somewhat understand and who understand the world I circulate in. That's the problem with these discussions of "Professionals." People's egos inevitably get bruised, no matter how delicately you try to discuss the issue. Birds of a feather flock together, no matter how you define them.
South Riding VA			Username hidden (8158 post)

User Details are only visible to members.	The problem with professional. Some think whitout proper knowledge of how much training one has with a job, that profession is not professional . In my profession, we require 30 hours of continuing education yearly.We also had to have 4 years of education,then required to take tests in order to obtain the licnese.We need to know construction law, payroll,codes,fire application.sizing(algebra) reading prints of al the trades.This never stops as long as I hold my license.Though i can bring in an applicant that knowns nothing ,teach them to do the job well without having the experience or training that I have.Does this imply that I am not a professional. Clearly those that are stating that want more of an upscale profession such as doctors ,lawyers,state representatives,we would rather they say upscale only need apply.no truckers,warehouse,mall peeps,down on their luck professionals sorry if I have missed one of us. We have a friend, who sold a few businesses ,walks around in jeans with holes in them , his hair is always a mess, he looks like he just woke up yet he is worth millions.upscale enough>?LOL.Ahhhhhhh he does not work so he is an upscale non professional.Funny we take appearances,professional and toss terms around like we would leftovers from dinner.
Sarasota FL			Username hidden (2070 post)

User Details are only visible to members.	Nutzz (why do I feel like I'm addressing my own gonads when I say that? LOL), I certainly didn't mean it would be easy to replace the knowledge your secretary has about your business. I meant that it is easy to find someone with the minimum skills necessary to be a secretary. Everybody who cares about the quality of their work develops increasing knowledge and skills about the particular business they work in. But you can easily see the point I made earlier about how touchy people can get about the word "professional." Everyone wants to think that they are highly skilled, especially valuable contributors. You can't "replace" a motivated individual with years of experience. But you can find someone else with the entry-level skills needed for the job. Are garbage collectors professionals? Yes, since they get paid. But do they possess specialized knowledge or skills obtained through years of advanced education or training? Not in most cases. Are they easily replaced? Well, surprisingly, NO, because it's not a job that is very appealing. I don't know any little kids who grew up wanting to be a garbage man! Still, the level of knowledge and skill needed to meet entry-level requirements as a garbage man are not the same as those needed to be a lawyer. It's tough to even talk about these issues without coming off as elitist or offending people who haven't spent years in advanced education or training. I have seen hair dressers get incensed when someone implied they aren't "professionals." Well, they get paid, so they are professional by definition. But I don't think they spent YEARS obtaining highly specialized education or training, either. I never went to hair dresser school, but I don't think it requires 4 years of college, another 4 years of medical school, an internship, and a residency before they are certified to practice their "profession," either. Reasonable people know the difference. I suspect that when people say in their profiles that they are looking for "professionals" they mean something more than just someone who is paid for the work they do. Jim
South Riding VA			Username hidden (8158 post)

User Details are only visible to members.	Hmm, so a "professional down-to-earth" person/cpl is? Yes, these two terms can be complimentary imho. btw (mostly for webby) - did you know that it is currently under legislation to make software programmers (including web developers) a 'professional' industry on scale with doctors/lawyers etc.
Frederick MD			Username hidden (166 post)

User Details are only visible to members.	Oh, man, Nutzz, you ARE nuts to ask this question! I've seen rip-snorting fights erupt and people get their panties all in a wad over this one! Because egos get involved! First, "professionals" has more than one definition. Technically speaking, anyone who earns his/her living doing something is a "professional," i.e., they get PAID for doing it and therefore do not have amateur status. In common practice, though, a "professional" is considered to be a person who has spent a number of years in training or apprenticeship acquiring highly specialized knowlede or skills that are not easily obtained, such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, nurses, pharmacists, computer scientists, rocket scientists, psychologists, physicists, chemists, college professors, etc. Certain types of jobs, such as janitors, housekeepers, store clerks, shelf stockers, paperboys, and even secretaries can be easily filled and require a bare minimum of training to make the person functional in that role. That's not to say they aren't highly skilled at what they do, but they are very easily replaced (hence their salaries are lower than the "professionals"). Professional athletes are also "professionals" in every sense of the word, since they earn their livings playing sports, and because they spent years and years learning their relatively rare skills and honing them to near perfection. So, .. .anyone who makes a living (gets paid) doing a particular job is a professional. But in common usage "professional" implies someone who possesses highly specialized knowledge or skills acquired through years of training, and who cannot readily be replaced by just your average high school graduate.
South Riding VA			Username hidden (8158 post)

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TOPIC: What does Down To Earth mean