Would you rent a friend?
I meet my friend Andy in a cafe. Over a coffee we chat about music, current events and the ups and downs of our working lives. We don’t spend a lot of time talking about our feelings or our relationship, or rehashing the past. It’s just not that kind of friendship. I prefer it that way, and I know Andy feels the same, because I’m paying him to feel the same. In fact, I’m paying him £40 an hour to feel the same.
Not so long ago, friendship belonged to a dwindling list of desirable outcomes – including happiness, wisdom and good weather – that money couldn’t buy. In a cold and indifferent world full of cold and indifferent strangers, a friend was something you had to make yourself. But no more: now you can purchase friendship at your convenience, by the hour. For a certain consideration, you can hire someone to go to a museum with you, or hang out at the gym, or keep you company while you shop. A stranger, you might say, is just a friend who hasn’t invoiced you yet.
This disturbing development has its origins in Japan, but it has also become big in the US. The website “rentafriend.com”maintains a database with 218,000 names on it, chums-for-hire from all over the US and Canada. Apparently, 2,000 people pay to subscribe in order to find friends to take to dinner or to invite round for some scrapbooking. (For reasons that elude me, scrapbooking is huge in the US. You’d certainly have to pay me to do it with you.) It may all sound a bit suspicious, but Rentafriend founder Scott Rosenbaum insists that the service furnishes platonic friendship only. Those seeking or offering more are struck off.
Read more :http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/culture-&-art/121200-would-you-rent-a-f...
but hey..to each their own. And should it actually help make them better and saner people then more power to em!
Getting warmer.
then u need to search for special offers or discounts ;)
Don't think I'd like to apply it though.
ydlov12 have u heard of cost cutting
The ones I have are costing me too much already.
I prefer adult friend finder now :o)
It could start off as a business arrangement , but develop into a real friendship..
Well an year old story.. now I stopped renting friends! :)
its that type of world we now live in folks. Things moving faster, life whizzing by, longer working hours and more people on drugs, everyone wants a quick fix for everything including relationships and now society is about chasing money. These are key factors in why more and more of these websites keep coming up. It is a sad inditement on whats happening in peoples lives. No one has got time to make friends are to say hi to someone they may like. As society becomes more violent we become more insular and less friendly. Paying to have a friend hmm surely they are not really a friend. Paying to have relationships read above society governed by money!
colt rent's hi 5 friends from international market
Lols inge, now when did tat happen ?
Many of our female friends are almost similar to rented friends, You don't pay bills, they won't show up for meet up...!
Where is the difference? Just changed names? Description is still same!
indeed dudboyseller, see Colt how is he rolling these days after i rented him for 1Hr....:)
ok now that's shocking!! friends are not just found like that :( they cant be called friends
In this part of the world, you may be right about women expecting a lot, but try hanging out with Rizks instead. He prefers chilling and doing stuff with with the likes of you and that is exactly how he rolls :o)
But if 'a girl' earns she should share the bill ..
yes, they expect a lot & later become 'expectant' ..
for people like me, making friends is simply unaffordable. Being an extrovert and not being able to spend on outings makes every day of my life pathetic.
Thinking about going out with a girl is like a fear since the impression is that they expect a lot.
Why cant it be like two guys just chilling out and doing stuff and money is of no importance .....but that is not how it rolls!!!
LIFE IS STRANGE!!!
Yeah i have stopped buying newspaper, coz i read news online these days .. :P
CL u must have stopped buying newspapers i know how u feel mate ;o)
Amazing business idea for me...
I got lots of useless friends that i didn't what to do with ... Now, i can start renting them and earn big money... Thank you QL !!!
my good friend Rizks Takloowala rents dogs and takes them for walks on the corniche just to impress women and make priendsheep :o(
Each time Rizks and I go out for a Karak Chai and Onion / Garlic papadoms with mint and chilli sauce - he makes me pay the bill. Does this mean that he is not a true friend and only a "rent boy" ? :O(
Pathetic! You can't rent "friends"...either you have them or you don't:)
Yup it's crap!
Actually it in't , since we often hear of people on QL complaining of lack of friends.. :O)
these days ppl are becoming anti social and still urge for a compnay...... and reason why we have 245 FB freinds but wen we wanna hangout hardly anyone showsup..... its just because we r more pretenious than being normal
This is an interesting one.. Firstly because it's not from Doha News :O)
My initial thought was "Another north American fad and making money scheme"..
But then i started thinking about all the postings on QL "requesting friendship" or "someone to hang out with"
Firstly, not ALL people charge. Some just do it to meet people, but will let the "invitee" pay for drinks and dinner.
Secondly, it allows you to meet new people that you otherwise probably wouldn't.
So, if both parties are happy, then why not !
is being commercialised !
this is ridiculous self cheating
My god! it's crazy man! we are waiting without friends and the other hand you paying money for them it's total crazy man!!!
Darn it! I could have made millions by now! :-0
Instead of which, there are no strings attached ...
/Well, ok, I'm poor but happy.
in US and Canada now?
Should we suspect friends with benefits? Lol!
And how are you, beautifull SS? Am I missing you?
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/culture-&-art/121200-would-you-rent-a-friend.html