If you think about it, it's a bit surprising how many people, you think, couldn't do his job.
I've heard it's more like an acting role. You can't literally do nothing.
Obligatory seinfeld bit on this one - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhPt8_yNqlA
'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude
51–60 of 244 posts
Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude
#52> "I get upset when people simply tell me keep on trying. When someone is trying to do something, I think the best thing to do is to help lower the bar for them by staying at their side" This is brilliant.
On a second read that sentence became even funnier.
My humor-detector is going wild, but I can't figure out the joke(s). I really hope I just need more coffee.
Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude
#53Focusmate is basically the same idea.
Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude
#54A friendly reminder that Japan's rent-a-family industry was completely fake: https://newrepublic.com/article/160595/new-yorker-japan-rent... Everyone loves stories about how weird Japan is (especially the Japanese), so these stories should be taken with a grain of salt.
I started questioning the western narrative about Japan when I learned that the fertility and suicide rates are actually worse in my country.
Turns out a lot of "exotic" problems in this country are all too familiar.
Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude
#55People in Japan sometime rent out actors to act as parents, lovers, relatives, etc at weddings, marriage interview, and other occasions. This is nothing new.
Turns out the most famous article about this was based on a hoax: https://newrepublic.com/article/160595/new-yorker-japan-rent... "If Japan’s family rental phenomenon is “well documented,” as The New Yorker claims, it is not well documented in the article itself. Despite describing a “wave” of rental families beginning in the 1980s, and noting their prevalence in literature and movies, there is no concrete sense of h…
How can you "discredit" a fictional drama film? (Family Romance, LLC). Has "Inglourious Basterds" also been thoroughly discredited?
EDIT: Nevermind, apparently there exists an actual, real company named "Family Romance", that's what parent poster's quote is referring to.
Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude
#56Ultimately, perhaps some of these people are really looking for a therapist.
I saw a lecture on psychology 101-- I think it was the free online one from Stanford-- where the professor said the main benefit of talk therapy is just having someone who cares about your problems for 45 minutes. So he what he is doing is therapy.
In my experience this can be an extremely harmful approach to talk therapy (and talking about therapy).
The main benefit is having someone trained to listen for specific symptoms based on what you talk about and to develop treatment strategies based on what you discuss and symptoms you experience.
I wouldn't reduce it to "having someone who cares about your problems for 45 minutes." It's more like "talking about your problems for 45 minutes to someone who can recognize which ones are rational, which ones aren't, and can discuss with you how to mitigate the negative effects of your own irrational thoughts."
Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude
#57Ultimately, perhaps some of these people are really looking for a therapist.
I saw a lecture on psychology 101-- I think it was the free online one from Stanford-- where the professor said the main benefit of talk therapy is just having someone who cares about your problems for 45 minutes. So he what he is doing is therapy.
Part of the “humans are social creatures” thing - communication is thought. Explaining yourself to another person organizes and makes connections within your ideas that rumination doesn’t.
Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude
#58So, he's basically renting himself out as a less affectionate, zero maintenance support dog. Brilliant!
If a dog can talk
Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude
#59I've been renting hundreds of people who do nothing for years. From Capgemini. Nothing Japanese about it!
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Re: 'Rent-a-person who does nothing' in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
I 've seen people react with a "oh so wacky japan" attitude when something like this pops up. But I agree with you, this is nothing more than a form of therapy. > Another reflected, "I had been slack about visiting the hospital, but I went because he came with me." I have seen multiple people be much more eager and diligent in taking a pet to the vet, than taking care of theirselves (due to fear, shame, and an if you…
Well, in the US at least a vet is significantly less expensive.
And in my experience pet insurance is more generous than human insurance