Put off SL

Hi All

I wanted to share with you what happened to me yesterday. I was sitting quietly on a bench, contemplating my naval, minding my own business and just generally watching the world go by, when a guy came and sat down next to me. We got chatting, and he was obviously intelligent, funny, quite charming, in fact. Plus, he looked "relatively normal", if you know what I mean.

After a while though, there suddenly seemed to be too many questions about RL, and about money, and something was starting to niggle at the back of my head. Then it hit me, just like the light bulb coming on. Turns out he wanted me to pay him $1500 a week, plus expenses (!!!), for the privilege of being "friends" with me!!

OK, I may be relatively new, and I know there is a lot of weird stuff that goes on out there, most of which I have no issue with, and you are all probably rolling your eyes heavenwards as you read this. What really upsets me, and actually made me feel quite sick, is that in the space of 10-15 minutes he had made the assumption that I was a sad old bint who obviously has no friends of her own who needed to pay a total stranger just to talk to her!

I may well be a sad old bint, but this morning on reflection I realise just how clever an operator he was, and that perhaps someone not quite as worldly-wise might easily be taken in by him. It will now make me very distrusting and suspicious of everyone else I meet, as I will always be looking for the hidden agenda.

This one little event has really now put me off SL - Please tell me there are some normal people out there??

Normal? o.O

There are people in Second Life who aren't interested in your money, yes, if that's what you mean. People who would just be your friend without any sort of expectations from you. But it's the same as it is in real life, true friends are few and far between. You just have to try and know someone as best you can, but in a world like this you can know someone without actually knowing them.

If it helps, I don't want your money

With friends like that, who needs prostitutes?

That is by far the oddest thing I've heard in a long while. Please don't let one bad apple ruin your trust in mankind.

And you are not a sad old bint. They don't own computers.

It sounds like something from some comedy show ...

There are people in RL like that too, you know. The male versions are called gigolos, iirc.

Noooo! Be a happy old bint like me!

Please please please don't let this drive you off from SL. Every once in a while you will get some weird people tripping you up, but there are a lot of nice people too.

Just out of curiosity, did he explain exactly what sort of expenses he might incur in the course of being a professional friend? I can't stop laughing about that part!

theres plenty of normal ppl out there

unfortunately they are usually not the ones that randomly come up and strike a conversation out of pure randomness

hang out at regular events you will find them

btw im not one of them

Does anyone actually know someone who is normal >.>

Yes. He's a half hermit crab half robot named Burp.

Thank you for all your kind comments - it makes me feel much better!!

I should have said, I think he actually wanted $1500 US, not LS, which he said I could pay him monthly via Paypal via my credit card!!! As for expenses, these would include clothing and travel - I am not sure if I was supposed to pay his food bills as well. To top all that, this would not be an exclusive arrangement, so basically to use his words "he would be free to roam the world to see what, or who, was out there!!"

At that point, I left. He's obviously not given up on me though, as there have been a clutch of IM's this morning, wanting to pick up where we left off.

Time for the mute button, I think!

Just be as circumspect as you would normally be on the internet - thanks for posting that one though - I think he's the sad one, not you - LOL!

*makes mental note - search Classifieds for "Paid Companion"*

Oooooh I would have had fun with this one!

The fellow was asking about 5.50 USD a week plus expenses... call it 10 USD.

Honestly, for 10 USD, think of the incredible FUN you could have extracted from this!

No, wait, really...





"Alright sir, do be my friend... here's a little downpayment."

"Oh! And these are my friends. We'll going shopping for lavender snakeskin boots. You WILL help us find them! Perhaps we'll start by walking the breadth of this continent..."

"What, not efficient, you say? Are you my friend, or here to argue with me? Be a dear, go over to those vampire-looking fellows, and ask them if they have any lavender boots, will you?"

...

"This is my prim chihuahua. His name is Mr Biggles. You WILL be pleasant and tell him a joke every five minutes, yes?"

*sound of yip-yip barking from oddly-formed prim object*

"Mr Biggles did NOT find that funny. You'll have to try harder! Come come, another joke, right now!"

...

"I'm simply bored. Entertain me, friend!"

...

"I've been invited to a formal ball. You'll accompany me for the evening - ah, and I've told them that you are one of the *top* men in the ageplay casino business. Everyone is dying to meet you!"

...

"This is my messed-up-in-the-head son... please help me console him, he thinks that bedwetting at 34 years of age is unmanly... have a talk to him before he cuts himself again will you? Man to man?"

...

"I simply MUST have a recording of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass right now. Do be a dear and send one? What? Oh come now, that was only 40 years ago! SURELY you would find one for me?"

...

"I have a confession to make. I'm really an undercover FBI agent. Gosh, I'm sooo sorry, but that mp3 you emailed me bears a liability of 150,000 USD. I've been torn up about this all night, but I simply won't be able to sleep unless I subpoena for your identity and bring you to trial in Sioux Falls, South Dakota..."

Awwww don't give up! There are nice people around who won't want your money..... he sounds like a real weirdo. Good thing there is a mute button huh.
Just a thought, but..... depending on what those IMs say.......... maybe you should consider hitting the AR button too? Sounds like potential harrassment to me.

Normal people in SL? Why?

ROFL @ Desmond

I would say the best place to make quality friends is in groups with a theme that you enjoy. The arts community is pretty tight and generally populated with mature individuals!

How come I never meet these knuckleheads? I need a good laugh. There are gonna be shysters preying on people, just like in RL. this one is a creative one at least. Just use the same insticts you would in RL. You'll be fine.

People, people, people.

When will you all learn.

When faced with whack jobs like this you always ALWAYS just reply with ...

Penguin.

Nothing else. Ever. Just penguin.

I dunno why it's such an annoying word but it does drive people away

I'm with you on this Brenda. I really am. Fancy hooking up in world sometime and going off to find some nutters to penguin?

No, no... It's gotta be... Moose. Meese is also acceptible, though I think it goes towards a different species... >.>

Yes... Moose... And walnuts.

Anytime Hon. In regards to the Penguin, would that be the "Penguin on the Telly"?

Many people come to SL to play games with other people's heads. I can't imagine a real gigolo trying to make business here... but then, the in-world environment isn't the only option for head-messing. Imagine if people did it in the forum too.

First... Desmond, you've done it again (caused me spray water all over my monitor).

Second... I really think people like this wannabe gigolo are rare and that no one with even half a brain cell in their head would pay for a friend in SL.

Friendships and associates are easy to come by in SL. I never really wanted friends in SL, was content to just explore quietly, and then before I knew it... acquaintances, bought small land, made real friends, bought a sim, made a newbie helping kit, bought more land, made more friends... For someone as shy as myself to make friends... anyone can.

So really, I doubt this guy would get far. Damn I hope he runs into Desmond while Desmond is in a cross dressing mood with some appropriate femme kit from B@R one day.

That might depend on your definition, but I'd say that there are a great many normal peoples. At the least most won't be askin for money to be your friend!

Mari

Two answers occur:

Pingu. Never stops swearing. My little hero.

OR

Pythonesque and time for it to explode.

It's all good

Moose .. moose is good. My avatar doesn't look like she should be saying penguin, I think that and my NEVER FAILING amusement to keep saying it (along with the chicken dance ... hey why did I never link those two?) is the key.

Can I just say that my friends are all a) very patient b) insane or in the case of my partner c) often completely bemused (bless ya baby x).

Brenda ... it will be done ... oh yes!!! Not sure when but ... maybe you're the fourth Angel of our trio. Ummm ... meh ... I guess I could be the disembodied voice of Charlie

BURMA!!!!!

Cherry, we would be honored if you would join our little forum Social Graoup. I'll send you an invite when I get a chance to log on, unless one of my minions does so before.