Television news was ablaze this morning with the story that Manti Te’O, star linebacker for the Notre Dame football team, had been duped by an online relationship with a woman who did not exist.
Some commentators are saying that Te’O was in on the hoax. I do not know whether Te’O was a participant in the hoax, or whether he was a deceived victim. I do know that both scenarios are possible. Some online predators toy with people’s emotions, apparently for the fun of it. Several Lovefraud readers have been snagged by such predators, believed they were in a relationship, and had their hearts broken when their online “partners” died—only to find out that the whole thing was a ruse. This certainly could have happened to Manti Te’O.
Notre Dame: Football star Manti Te’O was ‘Catfished’ in girlfriend hoax, on abcnews.go.com.
Truthspeak
I saw this on the news, this morning, and I could identify with the “online” thing because I met the second exspath in an online chat LONG before there were ever internet dating sites like the ones that are advertised every 12 minutes.
So, my question is this: what high-profile person would want to admit that they had been duped? Hell, I found it incomprehensible that I had been set up to enter a contract of marriage for my money, so I can’t imagine being a high-profile individual (especially, male) who was so thoroughly duped.
“Victim Blame,” to be sure. Eugh….
That’s why I get skeeved whenever I see the advertisements crowing about how many “marriages” resulted from their services. Ew……..just……ew