Not on a first date please.

Depends, I would not want to hear about his big manhood and how he used to pound her til the bed broke, but if we are talking within the subject of ex's, it's cool....sometimes people can't stop talking about them, that is a huge turn off.

My vote was 'I don't mind at all'. with the caveat - as long as it is not the blame game.

If they were in a long relationship, of course they're going to have their ex in a large majority of their past experiences and important parts of their history. If you're so threatened by that, then maybe you aren't ready for a real relationship. You're not a middle schooler.

HOWEVER that said, keep the past in the past. Pasts are important. We are who we are because of everything in our past. To pretend like you never loved your ex is to deny a part of what has made you who you are. Think on it like an old childhood memory. Don't let that memory dictate today.

If it's just a reference point then it's ok, but if it turns into an all night ex rememberance affair then it's pretty rude. If someone constantly mentions their ex on a date, they obviously aren't over them, or they are just really inconsiderate and aloof of the situation. Either way, we don't need to keep seeing each other. If her response to every issue I bring up is, "Oh my ex did that!", or "My ex used to do it this way!", or something similar, then it's a huge turn off.

Small doses.
I don't want to hear it much, and I certainly don't want to be compared to him.
It's pretty rude IMO.

I think that the last thing that anyone would want to hear on a first date is someone who talks about their ex-whatever. On a first date it would seem to point to a "baggage issue" and might serve as a red flag.

Never a good idea to bring it up early on, but it can be theraputic and helpful for mutual understanding later in the relationship. It is important to speak in terms of what the past relationship has taught. Involves understanding and Self discovery, learning from past mistakes and Moving Forward to a happier and healthier life. Never good to be stuck in the past.

I think the past is the past - I make a point of not mentioning exes to current partners. It's not that it 'bothers' me as such - just that 'private moments' remain private even when with an ex.

Especially at first it should be kept as a minimum. If a girl won't stop talking about their ex. No matter what it will makes me believe they are not yet over them in some fashion. Whatever the reason is it doesn't matter. The only thing you need is a friend and time to get over them. I usually never talk about exes especially when I first begin dating. I feel at that point it's like your conjuring them.

It's usually a big red flag. I used to brush it off in the past, but I have learned through experience that it is a significant signal that the person has not moved on or put the negative aspects of past relationships behind. In my opinion this behavior can be a sure signal that they will project the actions of others upon you and over analyze your every move based upon their hang-ups about their ex.

It really depends on how much they do it, and what talking about an ex (or exes) does to their demeanor.
I pay close attention to such conversations. Much can be learned about a person by listening to them talking about an ex. If they do it incessantly, and with rancor, that's a pretty good sign for me to bail before things go any farther.

I guess it depends on the context. If she's obsessed with her ex — what a dirtbag he was when they were together or what he's up to now or how great he was in bed, said wistfully whenever we're intimate {grumble, grumble} — that's a red flag that something's up and she's not fully present in our relationship. But if she merely says things about him in passing, like "Oh, when X and I went to Paris, we visited the Louvre" or "X could be abusive sometimes, though I didn't recognize the pattern at the time," then I'm fine with it. I figure her past made her who she is, so I can't expect, and shouldn't want, her to ignore or hide her past relationships.

I'm good with it as long as it is not negative. Not that I want them fauning about them either.

Depends on the context.

If she says, WOW, Whew! my ex never did THAT to me before! Is that even legal in this state?

I'ld be ok with it.

No problems within normal boundary.

I am OK with it. At my age everbody has a past!

I went with "Other". The reason is that it depends on the situation, and ALL of those answers have been true for me at some point or another. The way a person talks about their ex, or chooses not to, can reveal a great deal about their relationship skills, and whether they have healed and learned from a previous relationship and what caused them to fail or otherwise come to an end. It could also be educational to listen and learn to avoid mistakes made by their ex. An ending isn't necessarily indicative of failure and could be a sign of maturity.

Knowing about past relationships and how they describe them can give me valuable insight into their personality and character traits. The information is valuable to me in determining the future of our relationship. Better to know than be surprised.

Mostly, it depends on how they are talking about their ex. If it is about how lucky they were to get away. That's OK. If it's about how nasty they were and all men (women) are the same. Not OK. If it's about how they really messed up and the ex got away. That's really not OK.

I wouldnt want to be involved in acting like a therapist for a former relationship, At my age I hope there have been others and it would be hard to talk about this person's life without including past partners. I do pay close attention to how they are discussed though

I enjoy hearing about it, so long as it isn't all subjectively negative. Meaning, if it is just talking bad about them because they are the 'ex', it makes me think,"What are they gonna say about me if this doesn't work out?" If it is about abusive behavior, I don't mind being a sympathetic ear and trading war stories.

Exs are going to come up on conversation as in, "when i went to over there with my ex, ...." or "i realized giving up things i want to do just because my ex wasnt into it is not good for a relationship."

Now if its nothing more than a "my ex bitchfest" yeah, not so much.

If they were discussing all their past relationships, I think that would be a GIANT red flag!

Depends on the situation and for how much really , everyone has a past and to try and deny it is being unreasonable