HOPE AND THE SINGLE LIFE AT THE DEDHAM HILTON

Every Saturday night, at the Dedham Hilton's adult singles party, organized by radio personality Dick Syatt, people from vastly different generations cling to the hope of finding a companion.

They use a particular term to describe their efforts: "Connecting."

From what we could gather from partiers (see story, p.10), in Syatt-ese "connecting" might mean finding a companion.

But then again, it might not. "Connecting" is a word which is often unsatisfying and vague, and it becomes especially so when used in the context of these singles parties.

Some partygoers seem to think that "connecting" is a mere code word for sex. When one man told us that his friend had "connected" a week earlier, we had to wonder whether he meant that his friend had found a companion or had merely "gotten lucky." Our suspicions were not unfounded--one young woman told us that she had often been propositioned by virtual strangers who casually suggest "heading upstairs and getting a room."

Although many of these singles are looking for something more than just a night in the sack, it is nonetheless clear that "connecting" means different things to different people. This very confusion serves to illustrate why most people at Syatt's parties spend more time standing around by themselves than actually meeting anybody else.

Viewed pessimistically, Syatt's parties seem to bring together single people who shouldn't even walk within a ten-mile radius of one another. They come from different towns and range in age from 28 to 60. Young singles speak openly about sex, (whether or not that's what they're seeking) and older ones use code words like "connecting." Even on the most basic communicative level, Syatt's attempted matchmaking is an exceedingly difficult--if not impossible--task.

Syatt, who met his wife at a singles party, is obviously working against the odds. But if some people take comfort in the fact that each Saturday night they can go to a party in Dedham and be with people, then we should take comfort in that as well.