As the winter season gets more intense, this time of year once labeled cuffing season, has now become the season men and women seeking out dating partners with a roof, warm bed, and a fridge full of food. Yes, the recession and recent SNAP changes have many noticing overzealous, romantic interests, habitual line stepping of family and friends but, not all attention is what it seems.
Unless your name is Cisco, the current economic downturn has many being courted by men and women looking for sponsors and those willing to pay for groceries and suddenly go into business with friends, family, potential romantic partners for self preservation.
To wonder if you’re dating, becoming friends with, or noticing certain family members or romantic partners expediting arrangements, pay attention to the following:
Hey Big Head
If you haven’t heard from them in the past year, it’s not always a sign of someone looking to find or sponsor day to day living situations but, if their out of the blue text messages, emails, or social media DMs aren’t consisting of good news of where they are in life but, a string of sob stories and bad luck, any communication from that point on is at your own risk.
Big Ideas, No Website
Some people are natural go getters and constantly hustling. So, it wouldn’t be unusual to hear about a friend, family member, or potential romantic interests in building something better for themselves. And that process comes with some realistic patterns that are generally apart of a POST COVID-19 business world. BUT, if they’re telling you they’ve been working on something and there is no basic aspects like a website or a registered business or any type of schedule changes due to professional development, the request for money or investments will not be for actual business. This is when the fraudulent facade of business for the sake of getting money for living arrangements to cover basic needs slowly appears. They’re not serious and using the concept of business development as a way to trick someone into investing in a fantasy goal that really covers shortcomings and unrelated personal endeavors.
Applying Pressure
If you’ve been posting your home, your successes, any positive changes in your life, for some who’ve been burned by users close to them, seeing your success is not only a relief it lets any potential support system know you bring progress and not problems. The irony when you do display your success either through social media or people simply seeing your gains, those looking for sponsors will suddenly apply pressure on your requirements to appease their social presence. You’ll start getting invited to parties or events you know good and well they don’t have to money host. They’re start inviting you to church events. The volume of romantic date requests increase despite being avoided all year, complements increase. It becomes a lot without feeling like you were motivated by a cheerleader but, guilt tripped into engaging in things you and they know is not aligned with your personal interests and vibe.
Sudden Political & Social Activism
With the political and social climate we’re in, many people are using outrage as bait and switch for the sake of weaponizing emotions to lure people into paying for their day to day needs. Sure if there is work and research done, sites like Patreon are racking up donations for rightful curation. But, if the people in your life have and still are vapid and dismissive of self regulation but, suddenly care about religious/political notions, or contradictive takes on ethics of others but not their own life, be careful. Not only are they trying lure people to invest in their personal responsibilities, they’re also looking for people sue or entrap and extort. This has become sort of a digital pickpocketing by those looking get through the economic downturn. Men or women showering compliments and then go whole conformist when they see the financial opportunity slip away is usually when things go left. It’s even harder when family or friends go in those modes because, their retaliation veers into character assassination that doesn’t get resolved until the spring.
Overall, with many facing new economic challenges, some people who showed extreme lack of empathy prior to 2025, will be the same one’s presenting extreme lack of self awareness. Be careful and if you think you can handle these types for the sake of cheap companionship or labor, understand exploitation comes with baggage.