News Okay, Via Japan A New Industry... One That Serves The Giver And Receiver?

[The Albatross]

Read this, this morning... and thought it was a pretty solid article: https://www.yahoo.com/news/japanese-rent-men-paid-just-listen-045544065.html?ref=gs

I'm an admirer of trends and yeah the Japanese... but I liked the idea behind this... sort of a mutually beneficial arrangement for a different style of contact. Somebody that listens. I rolled it around in the back of my head and decided I'd share. Thought it might be a tension breaker... so whaddaya think?

 

[EveHarrington]

It sounds extremely lame to me. Kind of like people who can't go out and make their own friends so they rent-a-friend. It's fake no matter which way you cut it. Hello people, it's called socializing! I know, a retro concept abandoned by most. Pathetic!

 

[Deleted member 12723]

It sounds a bit like people being fed up with politically correct to me. I think that it is a good thing though because people with their devices including me, do not interact and socialize and talk to each other anymore. He is providing a much needed service I think. I cannot imagine how much good this guy is for people.

The lost art of real communication I think is what leads up to this I think. Living alone all by myself with no friends nor family, sure I would do it too.

 

[joeylittle]

It reminds me of the Seven Cups of Tea organization. I see it as a useful resource for people who don't have access to other humans, either because of restricted mobility, psychological barriers, social barriers...

 

[Friday]

Actually, this has centuries old tradition in Japan. Codified relationships of many kinds are a very cultural thing.

It's far more common & well known the other way around; from Geishas (which has never been a sexual role) to Hostess Clubs, women have been renting their social services to men for a very, very, very long time. When I was a kid, the men who did the same -purely for social interaction- were predominantly priests. Although there is a huge range of elder/younger codified relationships involving men, they're usually instructional at their base, rather than social. It makes sense, however, that as Shinto & Buddhist priests both lessen in number, and the apprentice system wanes, & far more women enter the workforce ...that more male social-interaction avenues will present, to meet demand.

We do the exact same thing over here...for kids. Big Brother / Big Sister & Coaches / Tutors fill the same kind of gap. That we neither have an elder/younger mentor system, nor companions that aren't sexual for adults... Has always seemed very strange to me. We do have therapists, which are rentable mentors, and prostitutes, rentable sexual partners, but not rentable social companions.