A while back, I posted one of my favorite documentaries, Guys and Dolls, which follows several men and their relationships with their Real Dolls. Imagine my surprise last night, while idly tuning in to another ridiculous episode of My Strange Addiction, to see none other than Davecat and his doll Sidore, formerly known as Shi-chan (who you’ll remember as the weird kid with the “synthetic girlfriend” who lives with his parents from Guys and Dolls). He was being profiled for his strange addiction, that is, being convinced that he is in a real, viable 10 year relationship with a silicone doll.
My bottom line on Real Dolls has always been one of gratitude, essentially. Real Dolls keep a decent percentage of weird, compulsive, creepy & chauvinistic guys out of the dating pool. The men in question here aren’t just lonely, no matter what the therapist on My Strange Addiction says about Davecat. Sure, some degree of loneliness does play in to this obsession, but there is a reason why men like him gravitate to inanimate objects as a source of comfort. Real women are much too threatening, what with their independent thoughts, feelings, desires and their pesky freedom of movement. Even women that can be bought and paid for cannot ultimately conform to what men like Davecat desire, which is a “partner” whose existence is entirely bound to their own needs and wants. Sidore a.k.a. Shi-chan is a “real person” to him… a real person who can’t think, can’t speak, can’t react, can’t complain, can’t get angry, can’t have a bad day, can’t pack up all her stuff and leave him. The men in Guys and Dolls, including Davecat, ascribe personalities to their plastic companions, but these personalities are perfect… that is, perfectly conforming to their creator’s whims.
On My Strange Addiction last night, the therapist dealing with Davecat ends the show segment with some final thoughts along the lines of “you’re an adult, it’s not hurting anybody, so whatever”, which is a sentiment I agree with. However, there is a tendency to pity these men, but I would argue that they are exactly where they want to and should be. I was also interested to read the postscript to the show, which mentioned that two days after the therapist’s visit, Davecat invested in a second Real Doll.A clip from the show is here, and Sidore’s twitter account (yep, I’m serious) is here.
