don't be such a grinch, richard.
 

Obviously you have not been on the receiving end of a proposal. As a woman, I would have loved to have had that moment captured on tape or film. Maybe the men aren't being narcissists, but are looking to capture the moment for their soon to be life partner. In my opinion, most blogs are written by the BIGGEST narcissists on the planet (not an adjective I would use to describe you btw).
 

actually, come to think of it, richard, you're a pretty romantic guy yourself. i could actually see you doing something romantic like this.
 

Well, now you tell me which is more romantic: A proposal that is a shared moment between two people, timeless, treasured forever between them; or a proposal in which the authenticity of the moment is changed before it has even happened, because one person knows that a photographer is there, and his actions are invariably affected by the knowledge that there is another person present? The desire to record introduces an element of artifice that is inevitable, that is present whenever anything is recorded for posterity (and those being recorded, or doing the recording, are aware of the act).

Me, I prefer authenticity. Even if it means I'll never have a photo. At least I'll have the memory, and I'll know that it's real--more real than the picture.
 

richard,
will you marry me?
 

Well, um...who are you?
 

ah, so many fans, so little time
 

I'm afraid I must remain anonymous for the moment. But I was quite a knockout in my undergraduate days.
 

Good for you!
 

Noooooo, I want Richard to marry me!
 

Richard,
What if alzheimer's begins to set in? The photo might come in handy.