By now, nearly EVERYBODY in the free world is aware of the hoax or non-hoax that is the story of Manti Te'o's dead (?) girlfriend. I'm not sure if she's dead or not since nobody is sure if she ever existed. Yahoo!, MSNBC, ESPN, Deadspin (the spearhead of it all) have been on the case like nobody's businss. Even Nev Schulman, the creator of the phrase and movie/television show is on the case.
And nobody has any answers. The one thing that stands out in all of this, and even on the television show is how the hell, in 20xx, can somebody NOT make any real contact with a person save for the letters typed on a phone or a screen? Phones come with video capabilities. Every computer has a camera imbedded in it. Skype is an app. Video-conferencing is the norm. Hell you cannot have a music career now unless you START with a video.
Basically, the ability view anybody, anytime is as commonplace as guns in the midwest.
Now, don't get me wrong, I can totally understand how it happens - to a degree. I've met many interesting people online. I happened to meet, start a blog with, and then write a book with a person I'd never met until three years after we began doing business together. I've met future girlfriends (and ex-wives) off of the internet where only pictures were exchanged until we MET in person. This was back in like 2005 though, so the whole Skype thing wasn't available.
But here's the point. We met at some point. Now depending on what story you ready, Te'o either did or didn't meet this woman at some point. Not even when she was dying did he go out and spend any time with her. I'm guessing due to the football season?? I don't know. It doesn't add up to me. I can see how you can meet and develop feelings for and eventually morph into a relationship with somebody online...but to never meet?
I'm not buying it. If you never meet, somebody's got something to hide. Feelings are an amazing thing. They can make you feel like you can climb Mt. Everest. Or fly. Anything...you've got to find an outlet for them and those emotional lovey-dovey feelings usually are best outlet via the other person. Now, its possible that Te'o is just somebody who got totally caught up and never thought he'd lose her (though he knew she was dying) and planned to see her RIGHT after the season was over...but...eh...
Now the main issue here, and where the catfish part comes in is that, if she didn't exist, and he didn't know, somebody was f*cking with him major. And that's just messed up. Why people are out here creating fake profiles and duping other individuals is beyond me. So maybe Te'o just got catfished in the most major way possible and because he is a somebody, its more embarrassing. But something smells fishy in this saga. Pun intended.
So did he get catfished or not? I have no clue. I can see how you get into a situation like this, but I don't understand how you stay in it. Even when watching the show on MTV, I'm often baffled by how these folks stay so oblivious for so long. Hope is a wonderful drug. Maybe they don't meet for fear the other person won't live up to expectations. I don't know. I know the desire for love is the great rationalizer. All behaviors seem okay when love is involved.
Until you get caught out there. Then we're all curious what the hell happened.
Oh well, beware my friends. They are insane people out there. And that insane person might be you.
Goodnight and godspeed.
Basically, the ability view anybody, anytime is as commonplace as guns in the midwest.
Now, don't get me wrong, I can totally understand how it happens - to a degree. I've met many interesting people online. I happened to meet, start a blog with, and then write a book with a person I'd never met until three years after we began doing business together. I've met future girlfriends (and ex-wives) off of the internet where only pictures were exchanged until we MET in person. This was back in like 2005 though, so the whole Skype thing wasn't available.
But here's the point. We met at some point. Now depending on what story you ready, Te'o either did or didn't meet this woman at some point. Not even when she was dying did he go out and spend any time with her. I'm guessing due to the football season?? I don't know. It doesn't add up to me. I can see how you can meet and develop feelings for and eventually morph into a relationship with somebody online...but to never meet?
I'm not buying it. If you never meet, somebody's got something to hide. Feelings are an amazing thing. They can make you feel like you can climb Mt. Everest. Or fly. Anything...you've got to find an outlet for them and those emotional lovey-dovey feelings usually are best outlet via the other person. Now, its possible that Te'o is just somebody who got totally caught up and never thought he'd lose her (though he knew she was dying) and planned to see her RIGHT after the season was over...but...eh...
Now the main issue here, and where the catfish part comes in is that, if she didn't exist, and he didn't know, somebody was f*cking with him major. And that's just messed up. Why people are out here creating fake profiles and duping other individuals is beyond me. So maybe Te'o just got catfished in the most major way possible and because he is a somebody, its more embarrassing. But something smells fishy in this saga. Pun intended.
So did he get catfished or not? I have no clue. I can see how you get into a situation like this, but I don't understand how you stay in it. Even when watching the show on MTV, I'm often baffled by how these folks stay so oblivious for so long. Hope is a wonderful drug. Maybe they don't meet for fear the other person won't live up to expectations. I don't know. I know the desire for love is the great rationalizer. All behaviors seem okay when love is involved.
Until you get caught out there. Then we're all curious what the hell happened.
Oh well, beware my friends. They are insane people out there. And that insane person might be you.
Goodnight and godspeed.
Related Links:
• Bad News America: All My Babies Mamas Is Apparently Not Going To Air
• How To Tell Whether Its A Date Or Just "Hanging Out"
Oddly enough, this echoes something I was caught in, to my misfortune. (I was only seventeen at the time and this was a year ago.) It's quite easy at this age, but with the resources he could've drawn on, it's less than plausible. Emotions tend to cloud responses though.
When I was around 20 which was about 28 years ago. I had a friend Sue who tried to string me along into thinking a friend of hers Nick liked me. I fell for it for a little while but then I finally confronted her and told her I wasn't that stupid because if he was truly interested he would have asked me out. A few years later I ran into a mutual friend of ours she told me that Sue used me. She liked pretending that she was my friend so she could make fun of me behind my back with her other friends. I treated Sue really well and just didn't seem to catch onto how she was using me. This other friend said to me you are the sweetest person I know and she did not deserve your friendship. I was invited to Sue's wedding I wanted to go because I adored her parents but I felt it was best to stay away. Now a days it's much easier to fall into this trap but it's also just as easy to get out of it do your homework. Always find out as much as you can about a person. If a friend tells me that a friend of there's likes me I find out for myself if I am interested in them.
I was a freshman when I got catfished by my BFF. Wanted to kill her for it, buut then again, I was the one who fell for this imaginary guy. For crying out loud, I'm so mad that I couldn't even see that he was fake?? Who cares what age your at, if you see no physical proof of them, something is seriously wrong with the situation.