Forum - View topicINTEREST: Need Someone to Talk To? Rent a Friend
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The Mad Manga Massacre
Posts: 1167 |
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Wow... just wow this is depressing.
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Lucis7
 Posts: 4 |
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This is really sad, the idea of a disposable friend is completely opposite with what friendship means.
I wonder if people are willing to rent a friend to listen to you when you are sad? Or when you are having problems with your family or with your couple? How can you pay a complete stranger to listen to your problems when they don't know who you are as a person so they can't really help? oh wait, that's a therapist´s job.... |
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Fletcher1991
 Posts: 514 Location: Long Island, NY |
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Only in Japan.
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Kougeru
 Posts: 5539 |
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FenixFiesta
Posts: 2581 |
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Mind you culturally in Japan is it extremely frowned upon to seek professional psychiatric help "because it would look bad upon the family", so pretty much "rent a friend" would be the only thing culturally acceptable. |
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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Yup. I see the point of this. People are hired to do minor chores all the time (clean house, watch kids, deliver groceries, etc), and in a country that doesn't have a very open view of therapists, why not have a less threatening, cheaper option?
My only question is, where are the bros-for-hire? |
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risingdarknessdragon
Posts: 24 |
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I'm lonely and don't have any true friends any more, but by no means will I use a service like this. On the flip side, it sounds like a good idea in theory...
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Joe Carpenter
 Posts: 503 |
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thank you for being a friiiiiiiiiend
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Shiratori1
 Posts: 300 Location: Los Angeles |
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Man......get over yourself pal! 
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SnaphappyFMA
Posts: 216 Location: California |
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There was a Japanese live-action movie about the darker side of this: Noriko's Dinner Table. In the movie a person could rent a group of people who pretended to be like the person's family and give them a "happy family gathering" for an evening. I was depressed for a week after I watched that movie. -_-
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Spotlesseden
Posts: 3514 Location: earth |
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Japan? This is all over the world. They just do it more publicly. Not much different than escort service in US. yes , some escort does not involve sex. I watched a documentary about High-end escort, they said most of their clients are high profile people and most of the time, they just want to talk. In London, there is already a rent a friend service. I think in Korean and China, there are a rent-a-date services. You can even bring your date home to act as your gf or bf. |
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taster of pork
 Posts: 594 Location: My House |
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Haven't the Japanese ever heard of a psychiatrist?
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Kikaioh
 Posts: 1205 Location: Antarctica |
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I laughed at this, with a twinge of sadness because that's basically what's happening here.
This is sort of how I felt too. They're not really friends if you have to pay them, right? It's an illusion of companionship, and the service is at odds with the basic problem it's trying to address. That said, if you look at it from a therapeutic perspective, it's not necessarily a bad thing (though in that case, they might be better off getting pets instead). |
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walw6pK4Alo
 Posts: 9322 |
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In all honestly, not likely. Mental health issues are viewed with disdain, so the idea of needing professional assistance is probably just not something they partake in. |
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Hastati
Posts: 34 |
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I think therapy is a good way to look at it. The impression I get is that those who use this service are fully aware of this "illusion of companionship," and view it as a convenient alternative to the hardships of their past relationships and as a simple outlet for basic communication and combating the spiralling nature of solitude. You can compare it to Host/Hostess services in Japan, which are of course much more expensive and manipulative, but I think there is a mutual understanding here that isn't so easily categorized within common understandings of the word "friendship." By paying for this experience, you would create a handy anchor, or a safety net, an excuse to not have to rely on the other person. You know that the money means they aren't your friend, and because of that you don't have to take any risks. It's easy to label this as cowardice or undignified, but I think that shared beliefs, dignity, or any of the typical hallmarks of friendship can become irrelevant in the face of loneliness and the desperation of everyday life. Ultimately, I don't think this differs greatly from therapy, counseling, or any other form of "arranged" human contact, and I don't think the money degrades the individuals involved. What matters is, of course, how the company itself treats its customers and personnel, but I think the concept itself has merit. Last edited by Hastati on Wed Oct 30, 2013 12:33 am; edited 1 time in total |
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