Maybe but then, I think it could be kind of sweet too. I imagine lonely elderly people may like to build a friendship with a young person and, vice versa. So long as neither tried to exploit the other. I was raised by my Grandma. I have quite an affinity with older people. There can't be so many sources of income by that age too.
I watched a video on a guy who rented himself out for companionship. I think that was Japan too. But- to have a meal with. See an exhibition with. Stuff like that. Perhaps it's sad if it's come down to us having to pay for someone's company but still- maybe that's better than nothing.
It can feel kind of awkward to eat alone. Maybe there's less pressure to do stuff when we know we're paying for the experience. In the clip they showed, they just both sat in silence, looking at their phones! I wondered if it really seemed worth it then but, maybe it was just the simple effect of not having to eat out alone.
In the UK, they set up a call service during covid to connect an elderly, isolated person with someone for a chat. I had a really nice long chat with a lovely lady. After which, work really picked up and my social anxiety peaked. That was voluntary but- there had to be background checks. So- that's something they would need to keep an eye on. Like anywhere- there could be bad actors and those out to exploit on either side- unfortunately. I imagine some of the fees would go towards moderating it to keep it safe.
Maybe we'll get to a stage where we can buy and sample any experience we wished we'd had. Reminds me a little of an episode in the UK drama series- Midsomer Murders. In it, within this small village, there were 3 prostitute experiences. One was the fairytale maiden, one was more a dominatrix and one was a typical housewife. The murder victim visited all three! But, the housewife one cooked him dinner first, followed by a Victoria sponge cake. Lol. I imagine there must be 'services' where you can play house though. I used to make ginger biscuits with my Nan. That would be kind of fun to do again. Not that this is a real life service of course.
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