I am so cynical, yet goofy
Apr. 3rd, 2006 07:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valis2A very close friend of my sister's has discovered chat rooms, and has been chatting with a guy in Austria for some time. They even made plans to see each other.
Apparently he wasn't available on chat for a day or two, and the next time she tried to chat, a "neighbor" answered her IM. Eventually his "ex-wife" emailed her to say that he was in a coma after having an accident while mountain climbing. Then today the ex emailed again saying that he had died.
My first reaction is that he was getting bored with the relationship, didn't want to admit that he didn't really have that great a job, and wasn't really coming to the States on business.
My sister's friend is broken up over this. Part of me says, perhaps it's true, he's dead, and I feel bad for her. The other part of me, the nasty-doesn't-trust-anyone part, is enraged that he's duped her. There's no proof either way, of course, but I have to admit that I'm skeptical too much for my own good sometimes. She's my sister's friend, so thankfully I probably won't have to talk to her about it, because I just know that I'd be scoffing if she brought it up, and perhaps this calls for mourning either way; she's trusted and let someone into her heart, and whether he really died or just didn't want to talk to her anymore, his presence is no longer in her life and it is a real loss to her.
Apparently he wasn't available on chat for a day or two, and the next time she tried to chat, a "neighbor" answered her IM. Eventually his "ex-wife" emailed her to say that he was in a coma after having an accident while mountain climbing. Then today the ex emailed again saying that he had died.
My first reaction is that he was getting bored with the relationship, didn't want to admit that he didn't really have that great a job, and wasn't really coming to the States on business.
My sister's friend is broken up over this. Part of me says, perhaps it's true, he's dead, and I feel bad for her. The other part of me, the nasty-doesn't-trust-anyone part, is enraged that he's duped her. There's no proof either way, of course, but I have to admit that I'm skeptical too much for my own good sometimes. She's my sister's friend, so thankfully I probably won't have to talk to her about it, because I just know that I'd be scoffing if she brought it up, and perhaps this calls for mourning either way; she's trusted and let someone into her heart, and whether he really died or just didn't want to talk to her anymore, his presence is no longer in her life and it is a real loss to her.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-04 02:12 pm (UTC)I would be inclined to think that it wasn't true, as I encountered a similar situation a few years ago. We used to have group chats with a male friend nightly, and occasionally he'd have his "friend" chat with us for a bit. Thing is, the friend never said much or had a personality. We sincerely suspected it was our chat partner saying he was his friend, so he could possibly read what we'd said about him while he "wasn't around."
And yes, he did have a history of mental problems. Not that you have to have that to do things of this sort, but there was a possibility that he had more than one personality in his mind as well as online.
I think it's unlikely that he's actually dead, but there is the chance that he is and doing more research couldn't hurt.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-05 01:04 am (UTC)Thank goodness I chat with (relatively) sane people. That would creep me out.
I'm going to research a little and see what's going on...I really hope that it solves the question.