While I am certainly not the first to admit when I'm wrong, I will cop to it if pressed. (thinking it over, I'll allow quite a lot when pressed... but anyway...)
Back in December I railed against Wishlists and CyberBegging as tawdry and shameless. This little excerpt from a Wired magazine article last year influenced my opinion:
Cam Culture: The Please Gimme Economy
The proliferation of flirty Cam Whore and LiveJournal sites showcasing pretty angst ridden teens and patronized by a voyeuristic and (usually) much older web audience makes me wonder what the point of subscription porn sites are anymore.
Purchase a few Amazon items and be rewarded with a personal peek of digital teen flesh.
On the other hand, at least you're getting something for your generosity. CyberBeggers simply hold out the virtual cup and wait for sympathetic surfers to bail them out of their financial holes. These sites don't want prezzies, they want the cold hard stuff.
CyberBegging Sites Popping Up On The Web
But you know, you gotta give it up to these sites. They've figured out a way to make the internet work for them by preying on some basic human emotions. Send a present and get the thrill of interaction with a teen toy. They might even tell you they luv u. Send a buck or two and feel the good christian glow of helping someone pay off a credit card maxed out from designer wear purchases.
Well, you know what? Since xmass cleaned me out last year, I can ill afford to be righteous. And besides, no one got me what I really wanted...
So, with much chagrin, I must admit that I too have been seduced by the Dark Side. I am now a present whore.
Oh jeezus - I just googled this and now I really feel fucking dirty...
lovedoll sez so February 12, 2003 01:16 PM
