YOU COULD REALLY USE A FRIEND RIGHT NOW.

$3.00

We all know that prostitution is illegal in the United States, but what about a rent-a-friend program? You could sign up with an agency to match you with a compatible companion for an afternoon of tennis, let’s say, or a trip to the museum. There would be strictly enforced limits, of course, but the premise would be no different from therapy, or hiring someone for home health care. Does it even matter that they’d only be pretending to like you?

We all know that prostitution is illegal in the United States, but what about a rent-a-friend program? You could sign up with an agency to match you with a compatible companion for an afternoon of tennis, let’s say, or a trip to the museum. There would be strictly enforced limits, of course, but the premise would be no different from therapy, or hiring someone for home health care. Does it even matter that they’d only be pretending to like you?