【文稿已更新】虚拟女友，慰藉or危险？

Xiaohua: Virtual boyfriends and girlfriends are now available for purchase online, where operators simulate relationships through phone calls and text messages for a daily fee. Somehow that doesn’t sound very good to me. Would you like to pay for such service? Heyang: well, it sounds like John’s topic. And I don’t think there is anything wrong about it, because there is a notice on the website that is any sexual advances or requests are grounds to terminate the relationship. So nothing dodgy is happening. John: I don’t think that is safe to the civil law, actually. I mean, theyare probably required to say that, so that they don’t get caught up in any types of sting or just in a random police action. I mean I don’t expect the police to do very much anyway, unless it is part of a crackdown. Just because they make this claim does not mean that does not happen. I mean, in countries around the world, prostitutions are illegal, but the escort services are ok, so… Heyang: When’s escort service is ok; nobody said anything about that. Xiaohua: It is harder to catch. John: well, they are not illegal, that’s for sure. But I think this is definitely interesting. And certainly, if we look at it, I think some people are just being very smart and taking advantage of the social isolation, that many people felt these days: the pressure to perform and the pressure to find a mate, and not being able to live up to that, and then you know you have someone at least to pretend to have a relationship with. Heyang: And actually, I think that is kind of a waste of time and money. Yes, you are buying a service. But if you are buying a service, then I think, probably from the bottom of his or her heart, that person wants a real boyfriend or girlfriend. And if you are just spending time with the virtual girlfriend and boyfriend, then you are not gonna get the real deal. So please, you know, maybe it’s painful, but you should stop this and mingle with real people. Xiaohua：Yeah, it is a little bit pathetic for me about the whole situation, not the person buying the service, that human emotions can be bought and sold, and can be faked. John: what about movies? I mean that’s exactly what a movie or a TV show is. Xiaohua: At least it’s art, you know. How is making a phone call an art? John: Well, they must be pretty good actors if they can convince some of the people, right? Xiaohua: Yeah…I don’t know. It just seems so interesting that you are just pretending to be someone you are not. You are pretending, say, to be a neighborly girl or you can pretend to be a CEO. Because there are different categories of people you can choose from. I’m just honest that I’m not interested. Heyang: I think there is probably people who really yearn for real emotions but feel that this is probably the fastest or the only way that they can get that emotion. And I think that is probably the sad product of today’s society. John: The bottom line: unless you know we are prepared to deal with the root causes of why these people are isolated, why the only you know the real human connection they can have is between a virtual boyfriend or a virtual girlfriend. I mean I think we just leave them be. If they get satisfaction from this, I mean, if people are making money from it, that means people are choosing to do so out of their own free will. If that’s true, then what’ the problem? Xiaohua: I do think that there is a safety problem to be concerned, because people who have bought the services, you have to exchange phone numbers and QQ numbers, that is the first step of establishing a relationship, what if is one of them is a psychopath or something? John: that is gonna be a pretty extremely isolated case. China does have problems with stockers, psychopaths and serial killers, and stuff like that. But I don’t think it gonna happen often here. Xiaohua: I am just saying that it is concern. And if it is a girl, they just should learn to protect themselves.