This whole story is an interview with one person, so I’m skeptical. But it’s still a thought-provoking meditation on the public performance of personal relationships.
We have a huge variation of employees and the dedication to create an experience that surpasses reality. That’s why our motto is “more than real.” We had a case recently where a dying man wanted to see his grandchild, but it would not have been born in time. His daughter was able to rent an infant for the day.
[…]
I believe the term “real” is misguided. Take Facebook, for example. Is that real? Even if the people in the pictures haven’t been paid, everything is curated to such an extent that it hardly matters.–The Atlantic
This was such a fascinating story! I’d love to read in-depth accounts of individual rentals.
There’s a notorious Christmas movie about this- “Surviving Christmas.” A rich guy hires a fake family to play out his dream of what a nice family Christmas should be like… it’s pure cringe.