Posted 19 December 2007 - 04:21 PM
In all honesty, the way these Hosts work their clients is not all that different from the way 'respectable' companies like Johnny's Entertainment or Hello!Project work their fanbases. Hosts and Idols say their job is to "sell dreams" to willing participants - in return for their money, of course. The biggest difference between them is pretty simple: in the entertainment industry, the line drawn between Celebrity and Fan is much clearer, and the gap between them is that much wider. Basically, interactions are limited to organized events like concerts or shows, and one-on-one interactions are rare. Idols will sit pretty for the camera, patiently answer questions like, "What kind of girl/boy do you like?", act stupid/clever/perverted - whatever gets the audience going - so that fans start to think that they "know" their Idols. And to keep this illusion intact, Idols will keep their personal lives mostly private by pretending they've never kissed, or they don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend, or they can't wait for love/marraige/kids. Fans will return the favor by purchasing albums, concert tickets, posters/pictures, and God knows whatever other paraphernalia there is to buy.
The stakes are much higher with Host Clubs, of course, which is what makes them potentially dangerous. Alcohol is involved, all interactions between Host and Customer are personal, and the bills are phenomenally expensive (you DON'T KNOW how much you're spending). Hosts try to sustain the illusion that, despite the hundreds of other customers they take on, YOU are the special one, the one that really matters to them, and that they depend on you to make a living (and suddenly the customer has an important responsibility to fulfill - another round of drinks for everyone!). It's much easier to get emotionally invested in these pretty creatures who look at you like you're the center of their universe (as opposed to Idols, who are looking at you and about 20,000 other people).
All of this is fine, of course. If you want to buy every single picture there is of your favorite Idol, go ahead. If you want to spend a fun and wild evening with a cute Host, go ahead. As long as the Customer/Fan is aware that there are limits to obsessions, some indulgement is totally fine, even a little healthy, IMO. It only gets shady when the line between Customer/Fan and Host/Idol is violated (i.e., stalking or prostitution) which is usually the result of the Customer/Fan growing too obsessed with the object of their affection (who, obviously, has absolutely no desire to reciprocate).
credit; PinkoMax
