Too Far? Dating Site References Dark Knight Shooting in Survey

An online dating site is raising eyebrows by using the recent Dark Knight shootings in Aurora, Colo., as a jumping-off point for a survey of its members.

WhatsYourPrice.com, a site where "generous" members bid for the opportunity to go on first dates (and "attractive" members pocket the cash) polled their male members on whether they would "take a bullet" to defend their companions on a first date. In a Tuesday press release, the company summarized the results of the poll, broken down by income level. The release directly referenced the Aurora tragedy.

"During the Dark Knight Massacre, three men lost their lives to save the lives of their girlfriends," the release stated. "But what if you were on a first date, and you had only just met? How do you differentiate the courageous from the cowardly? According to the results of the survey of over 20,000 generous male members, it's by generosity, but a man’s generosity is not defined by the size of his wallet."

According to the survey results, men with annual incomes in the $80,000-$150,000 range were more likely to take the bullet than those in other income ranges.

WhatsYourPrice.com Public Relations Manager Jennifer Gwinn told Fort Stewart Patch that the survey wasn't an attempt to capitalize on tragedy.

"It’s a first-date dating website. We wanted to know, if you're on a first date with someone who’s not your girlfriend, how many men would be a gentleman and step up and protect them?" Gwinn said Wednesday. "Even if it wasn’t something like the Dark Knight massacre, what if it was a bank robbery? If you were in danger, how many men would protect their dates? That’s what we were curious about."

Others have condemned the survey as a cheap marketing ploy. Ned Hepburn of DeathandTaxesMag.com called the press release "low, cold and despicable," and LA Weekly blogger Simone Wilson called it "the No. 1 most inappropriate conversation to be having in the wake of a massacre."

What do you think? Is the release in any way defensible, or does "low, cold and despicable" about sum it up for you? And is it surprising or inevitable that someone would find a way to capitalize on the shootings? Let Fort Bragg Patch readers know your thoughts in the comments below.