Short of guests for that all-important social event? Racking your brains for remote acquaintances you can barely remember? Easy - just hire some fake friends to plug the gap.If you live in Tokyo, there's a company that does exactly that - hires out "friends" to make your birthday party or wedding go with a swing.
Simply attending costs £127, while there's an extra charge for making a speech, singing or dancing. They can pretend to be anything you want - a lover, a secretary or a distant relative. In fact whatever you think will impress the genuine guests.
But who on earth would be sufficiently devious or insecure or pretentious to go to such lengths? Are there that many people who're so desperate to keep up appearances and pretend they've got a huge social circle?
Surely they'd be found out pretty quickly when one of the bogus guests failed to know some elementary fact about the person throwing the party or housewarming? That's funny, they never heard about the car accident. Or the overdose....
Mind you, recollecting some of the dismal social events and vacuous conversations I've had to endure in the past, maybe a few fake guests would have livened them up a bit and sent me home pleasantly happy rather than wanting to shoot myself.
.................................................................................
Now we've moved to the other side of Belfast, Jenny has relaunched her blog as East Belfast Diary to write about her new neighbourhood.
I'm available for the house warming! I promise not to reveal all the secrets I learned from the blog either... at a price. LOL!
ReplyDeleteGrannymar - Housewarming, what housewarming? We don't want yobbos like you wrecking the place! And we certainly don't want you revealing all those mortifying secrets....
ReplyDeleteOoh, are you having a housewarming? you're just across the sea from me. well, up a bit and across the sea. Sorry, got distracted by grannymar's comments.
ReplyDeleteI am too insecure to have a party because I think no-one would come so a few hired attendees might suit me.
oh, look, my word verifier is vaniti! I swear there's a little man choosing the word to match the comment.
Liz - The house is warm enough already, no warming needed. And I'd have to hire so many fake friends the bill would be astronomical....
ReplyDeleteWhat a great job it would be? Paid to party :-)
ReplyDeleteThat is just incredible!
ReplyDeleteWhat interests me are the cynical entrepreneurs who started this business, seeing a "need" and saying to themselves "we're going to fill this need!"
And I agree--the fake guests could be cottoned on to very quickly...and then, oh the shame!
Suburbia - It might be fun, but on the other hand it could be pretty nerve-racking trying not to slip up!
ReplyDeleteLeah - Cynical or enterprising? A bit of both perhaps. Yes, I can't see how the fakes could survive for very long without being rumbled.
Ooh ..now there's a job opportunity with chardy thrown in! *note to self - move to Japan* Actually the Japanese hire wedding parties out here for their photographs. The couple has a wedding here with all the meringue dresses and dark suits and hire flower girls to complete the photos then have a 'party' when they go home . .the waterfront is full of Japanese meringues every Saturday and Sunday, surely you've seen it?
ReplyDeleteRent-a-guest for a wedding -aargh! I'm in the middle of organising my daughter's wedding next month and it's keeping the guest list down to a manageable (and affordable) number that has been my nightmare. You don't want to offend all the aunties by not asking them, but does horrid cousin Henry REALLY need to be invited? And why does the groom have such a big family and so many mates?
ReplyDeleteI will probably have had a nervous breakdown before its all over.
Baino - Yes, this could be a great job opportunity! I bet there're plenty of people down your way who want well-attended wedding receptions! And I did notice those wedding parties on the waterfront.
ReplyDeleteHerschelian - That's the opposite dilemma, trying to prune a potentially huge guest list. And as you say, what to do about the relatives you just can't stand. Do you reject and offend or invite and cringe?
Thanks for the plug, Nick - must remember to link your blog :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, sweetie....
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of a Dutch film, a comedy, called Rent a Friend :-)
ReplyDeleteConor - Never heard of that one. But it would certainly make a good theme for a film.
ReplyDeleteOf course there are people out there who are so insecure that this sort of service can appeal to them. Ask any Page 3 reporter about this phenomenon and you will be amazed.
ReplyDeleteRamana - It's hard to believe there are people that insecure and image-conscious but clearly there are.
ReplyDelete