My friend is much stricter than I am and has a big long list of 'definitely nots'. I have to admit, for me, there are only a couple of deal breakers, that would compel me to turn down a smiling George and the prospect of languishing on his yacht, in its idyllic Italian setting. Obviously, if he was a racist or a rapist or any other kind of sociopath and categorically not if he was an Ofsted inspector but, apart from that, I think I am pretty easy going or maybe just desperate.
For instance, my friend wouldn't go out with a Tory and, this was one of those times when the debate mushroomed on and on, because for me it would depend upon the type of Tory. A general run of the mill kind and I think I could look the other way just so long as we never discussed politics over cocktails on our respective sun loungers. A Nazi, strike breaking, anti- social welfare kind of a Tory though and definitely not. You see, I told you it could get complicated. Another unexpected one was football hooligan. My gut reaction was definitley no - after all aren't they all shouty and beer bellied, with a tendency to spit in the street - but my friend argued not. She, of the political zero tolerance, it turned out could turn a blind eye to football violence just so long as they hadn't killed or maimed anyone.
The game can quickly become serious and philosophical with discussion straying into very relevant social issues for women of our age. "...if he had children," caused a bit of a hoo-ha when it was aired amongst a larger group. One friend was a definite no, I was an it depends, and the rest were mainly perplexed and angry, especially the ones with children. It can come to represent then, far more than the lengths we would go to for a date with George Clooney and it seems to me it's a light hearted way for us to define what matters and what really isn't that big of a deal. Maybe it's a kind of safety valve as we try to make sense of a society that is changing so rapidly, it's impossible to even remember what your ideals are half the time, let alone hold onto them.
Perhaps we should get it patented. The best outcomes are when alcohol is involved and the discussions veer inevitably into politically incorrect and bawdy territory. You should try it, it's a very adaptable game and you can tailor it to your own choices but I guarantee a lot of laughter and more than a few surprises.