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This crazy website has just opened up in the UK. I understand it's already operational in Japan (where else ) and the US.

Seems the basic idea is that if you are short of somebody to go out with one night, you can pay somebody to hang out with you. Is this the most ludicrous thing ever or am I missing something

I guess if the site were populated by petite brunette girls, then it might stoke my interest, but in Southampton I have the choice of two balding men called Joseph (39) or Gary (53). Neither look like the kind of person with whom I'd choose to share an evening, nevermind pay for the priviledge. No offence guys, if you're reading.

So it's like prostitution, only dumbed down a bit? Or is that included in the 'Happy Ending' package?

So, the basic premise is that the people who can't make the effort to find friends get to pay for someone else who can't make the effort to find friends to come and have a drink with them. I suppose it's better than ending up on 4chan.

Well, they say there's one idiot born a minute, so I guess they won't have a huge shortage of 'customers'.

Rent-a-friend?

Will thus end in tears.

Thai Surprise!!!

Flashman wrote:This crazy website has just opened up in the UK. I understand it's already operational in Japan (where else ) and the US.

Seems the basic idea is that if you are short of somebody to go out with one night, you can pay somebody to hang out with you. Is this the most ludicrous thing ever or am I missing something

I guess if the site were populated by petite brunette girls, then it might stoke my interest, but in Southampton I have the choice of two balding men called Joseph (39) or Gary (53). Neither look like the kind of person with whom I'd choose to share an evening, nevermind pay for the priviledge. No offence guys, if you're reading.

That's what a lot of wargame clubs are like.

I take it you would prefer...



but you find it to be...

Kilkrazy wrote:That's what a lot of wargame clubs are like.

Maybe he has enough sausagefest in his life already?

Kilkrazy wrote:I take it you would prefer...

Who wouldn't?

I might have to look this up as I used to have an imaginary friend .. but he said I was boring and ran away

Kilkrazy wrote:
That's what a lot of wargame clubs are like.

I take it you would prefer...

Well indeed To be honest I'm married and now have a baby boy, so I don't have much time to see friends, rented or otherwise

I think its something other than a traditional escort agency.
The idea here is to find a 'buddy' not an escort and the market is for a same sex companion in a non-homoerotic way. This is what Flashman appears to have found.
Everyone else (until this post) has just automatically assumed its a prostitution racket. I think it is there to cater for people with low self esteem who cannot socialise and meet friends, these people are more common than you might think and more extreme cases might neet to hire a 'buddy' to help them adjust into society.
The fact is these services are not new, but are available under 'Mentoring' for free. The trouble is that Mentoring while an excellent service can be likeneed to social services and thus to the client appear to be linked to confirmation that professional help is required.
As many people who have extreme low self esteen problems also struggle with accuusation of being mentally ill going to any form of service that is linked to social/church or mental health services is soemthing that confirms accusation of madness leveled at such individuals.
This service will allow the client to find buddies on their own initiative without room for an automatic accusation of madness. It might carry other labels 'guy is so sad he has to hire friends' but a discrete hire service would account for that.


I would not be suprised to find this above comment reacted to with some incredulity. So I will explain further with a logic chain:

- The root cause is child abuse or bullying while a child (this you should see is common enough)
> The child develops symptoms of the stress of mental abuse.
> Thus the cause, or other bullies who witness aberrant behaviour start up a label that the victim is 'mad'.
> This victim is not mad however and rejects the label, but becoms progrsively more =mentally ill as bullying remains unresolved.
> When the victim kleaves school he/she is maladjusted and unable to cope in society.
> Mental health aservices can assist but cannot easily be approached because that would self-confirm the accusation of madness and prove the bullies 'right all along'.
> So he underlying issues remain unresolved.

This logic chain can also be sourced from an abusive partner, co-workers or boss in adult life and continue in the ame way though it is harder to self convince an adult that had a safe and solid upbringing.

Eventally many such problems iron thrmselves out, some end up in the churches for help (outside of some exteremiststhere is bo label of mad for running to a church) however if the viftim is not-religious or local churches suck they might find help elsewhere. I was a homeless worker and a 'worker' in the churches and saw this phenomena in both organisations. As a homesless worker I was strictly forbidden from attempting to counsel clients, and could go no further than having light chats. In ther church I could go a little further and help people by giving the same advice intersperced with concepts such as 'prayer' as appropriate. Still on a secular level I could do little more than chat with people, professional counselling, church or secular is far more involved and should not be attempted on someone you do not know well. Those eiople we helped in the churches are people we knew in th churches, you couldnt run a drop in service without a lot of professional training.

Again the peiople most at need will not go into drop in centres relgious or secular ultimately because of the same mental health stigmas associated with theri owen absue cycles. I can see services like this being useful.