The truth about Tinder

A TUC report says half of all women are harassed in the workplace, and that they are too afraid to stand up for themselves. Tell that to Judge Patricia Lynch. She responded to a racist, sexist man who called her a ‘c***’ in court by calmly saying: ‘You’re a bit of a c*** yourself. Being offensive to me doesn’t help.’ Absurdly, Judge Lynch is facing an official inquiry when she should be given a medal. Here was a woman in a top job refusing to play the victim card and standing up to a bully. A TALeNTed 21-year-old rugby player who met a woman on Tinder was cleared by a jury in just one hour after she claimed he raped her.

For the uninitiated, Tinder is a dating app that allows men and women looking to ‘hook up’ to post their picture and a description of their intentions.

That can be anything from ‘single professional looking for lasting love’ to ‘prepared to sleep with anyone’. You ‘swipe’ right on your mobile phone if you like the look of the person and arrange to meet up.

Zach Kibirige, an england junior player, swiped right and exchanged nearly 1,000 digital messages over a fortnight with his accuser before they met and had sex. he said it was consensual. She said it was rape. The jury believed him.

It’s all too easy to argue that Tinder encourages men to prey on vulnerable women, but with more than a billion ‘swipes’ a day, an estimated 50 million Tinder members and 12 million ‘hook-ups’ every 24 hours, it’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that all too many women know exactly what they’re letting themselves in for.

They may delude themselves they might find lasting love, but in reality Tinder’s just a knocking shop.