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Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry

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Re: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry

#31

Post by mc32 »

jpatokal wrote: post #30
mc32 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think "industry" is a fine term. Lots of things that are relatively low diffusion are "industry". Take: Artificial limbs. Antique fashion. Independent supercars. S&M goods. Fake furniture props for selling houses.

I'm pretty sure each and every one* of those industries is several orders of magnitude larger than the industry for fake families. For example, there are 2 million people in the US alone with artificial limbs. * ..except maybe independent supercars, and even then only if counting units sold and not dollars invested.

Ok, I'll grant you "niche industry". Kind of like the people that get hired to cry at funerals and such.

Re: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry

#32

Post by TangoTrotFox »

Something strikes me as odd about things like this. There is regular discussion here on HN about how lonely some people are, depressive isolation, and so on. And yet here people view this as 'well that's weird' for having a company, however obscure, that would provide a product that could remedy this solution.

I see it as little different than prostitution. Somebody wants something that's fulfills a need that's generally provided for free * , yet if those unwilling, unable, or uninteresting in fulfilling this desire are willing to pay for it then why in the world aren't there more companies offering it? I don't think this would even inherently entail a denial of reality. It's just a way for people to fulfill another psychosocial need.

Re: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry

#33

Post by aclimatt »

sdrothrock wrote: post #19

This is a repost of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16927649 from two weeks ago. So in that vein, here's my comment on that one: Getting a little tired of these showing up. Yes, these services exist, yes some people use them, and yes, it's totally "weird Japan." But no, they're not anywhere NEAR mainstream. I think using the word "industry" really makes the reader think it is and imagine a huge, dysfunctional so…

I'm not sure how that's relevant. As others pointed out, even if it's very niche, it still exists. Yes, there are a number of articles fetishizing all of the "weird" aspects of Japan and perhaps in some way making them seem pervasive to people who haven't visited, but this article is doing absolutely none of that. (And even if it were, that's not the point.)

I'm going to gather you didn't make it past the first few paragraphs, because the entire point of the article, particularly in the last third, is an analysis of reality and what constitutes real relationships. The author tries to use this subculture to evaluate the context of families, unconditional love, and how money may or may not change the equation. For that reason, I think it's one of the best articles I've read recently, as it's a thought-provoking insight into human needs and the realities of modern relationships.

Give it another read. Just because the story takes place in Japan, doesn't mean it's about Japan.

Re: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry

#34

Post by sdrothrock »

aclimatt wrote: post #33
sdrothrock wrote: post #19

This is a repost of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16927649 from two weeks ago. So in that vein, here's my comment on that one: Getting a little tired of these showing up. Yes, these services exist, yes some people use them, and yes, it's totally "weird Japan." But no, they're not anywhere NEAR mainstream. I think using the word "industry" really makes the reader think it is and imagine a huge, dysfunctional so…

I'm not sure how that's relevant. As others pointed out, even if it's very niche, it still exists. Yes, there are a number of articles fetishizing all of the "weird" aspects of Japan and perhaps in some way making them seem pervasive to people who haven't visited, but this article is doing absolutely none of that. (And even if it were, that's not the point.) I'm going to gather you didn't make it past the first few p…

> I'm going to gather you didn't make it past the first few paragraphs

I actually did and remain completely unconvinced despite the frame. There's another article from a few more months ago that was a lot more convincing and even wrote a positive comment reinforcing its content and pointing out how pervasive a problem loneliness can be in Japan and how the society really prevents people from making friends.

I would argue that the "point of the article" being buried in the "last third" isn't really the point, especially when the title is "Japan's Rent-a-Family Industry."

> I'm not sure how that's relevant.

To this point, my problem is that popular news focuses so much on "Japan is weird" and "Japan is exotic" that it creates and maintains an image of Japan as an ineffable other, which does a disservice to both the Japanese people and also to people who work with Japanese people and even really encourages a kind of subtle racism on both sides, where Japanese people are Japanese "because they are" -- they're just quixotic and traditional and exotic.

I say it encourages this on both sides because there's a movement among Japanese people called nihonjin-ron, which itself is an attempt to find things "uniquely Japanese," from the length of the large intestine (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10109809) to squatting ability (http://www.e-budo.com/forum/showthread.php?20037-Western-Kne...) to an apparent inability to learn English.

These kinds of articles are often enthusiastically pulled up as "oh yes, Japan is totally unique, see this!" and only serve to make a completely artificial barrier between cultures, one that is heightened by the fact that these articles are almost always the only ones that make popular news by virtue of being "weird."

Re: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry

#35

Post by ergothus »

Consultant32452 wrote: post #17
hamslamwich wrote: post #9

If I pay extra, will they make awkward politically-charged comments in front of my friends, just like the real thing?

I'm not racist, but...

I think that was a comment about families in general, not about these particular people.

Re: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry

#36

Post by Angostura »

sdrothrock wrote: post #19

This is a repost of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16927649 from two weeks ago. So in that vein, here's my comment on that one: Getting a little tired of these showing up. Yes, these services exist, yes some people use them, and yes, it's totally "weird Japan." But no, they're not anywhere NEAR mainstream. I think using the word "industry" really makes the reader think it is and imagine a huge, dysfunctional so…

I must admit, I didn't really get a weird Japan vibe from the piece; the opening isn't holding the service up to any kind of ridicule. We all know that loneliness is chronic problem, and it felt as if Japan had found an unusual approach to coping with it.

Re: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry

#37

Post by eric-hu »

ergothus wrote: post #35
Consultant32452 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not racist, but...

I think that was a comment about families in general, not about these particular people.

I think that comment above yours was alluding to how many family gathering trainwreck conversations start: "I'm not (racist, sexist, homophobic, etc), but..."

Re: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry

#38

Post by anonthu2018 »

aclimatt wrote: post #33
sdrothrock wrote: post #19

This is a repost of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16927649 from two weeks ago. So in that vein, here's my comment on that one: Getting a little tired of these showing up. Yes, these services exist, yes some people use them, and yes, it's totally "weird Japan." But no, they're not anywhere NEAR mainstream. I think using the word "industry" really makes the reader think it is and imagine a huge, dysfunctional so…

I'm not sure how that's relevant. As others pointed out, even if it's very niche, it still exists. Yes, there are a number of articles fetishizing all of the "weird" aspects of Japan and perhaps in some way making them seem pervasive to people who haven't visited, but this article is doing absolutely none of that. (And even if it were, that's not the point.) I'm going to gather you didn't make it past the first few p…

I think adding perspective is extremely relevant.

If I did not read sdrothrock's comment, I really would have a completely different view of Japan and Japanese society.

I often feel a lot of these Western articles on various Asian cultures to be quite disingenuous.

The point of the article is entirely different if this was a common occurrence in Japanese society versus it being based on a tiny, niche, that affects less than 0.1% of Japanese people.

As an analogy, imagine a Japanese article talking about "American family relationships" based on child beauty pageants and Honey Boo Boo.

Re: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry

#39

Post by gremlinsinc »

I think something like this could work in the U.S. ...esp. tailored at introverts, but add a bit of psychology to the mix, instead of hiring 'relatives' ... hire people to basically help you not be so 'lonely', and also help you to come out of your shell, maybe you struggle talking to women, they might be able to help you with that and help you become a good conversationalist -- etc... I get the grandma ordering up grand children though, it can be really lonely when everyone you know is dead, or gone off to start their own families.

A niche someone could start if they were so inclined might be: 'Big in Japan' .. take some of these weird Japan customs/business ideas and make one umbrella company that does it all--so anyone moving to US from Japan can continue those customs, etc... but it's broader so it's not so niche as to not have a place.

Re: Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry

#40

Post by exolymph »

ergothus wrote: post #35
Consultant32452 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not racist, but...

I think that was a comment about families in general, not about these particular people.

The person you replied to was joking, because "I'm not racist but" is a classic opener from embarrassing family members.
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