There's a longstanding cliché about engineers of all stripes being socially awkward and/or inept, and that probably holds true with a guy who's posted an ad on Craigslist that ought to be a joke but, sadly, I think is not.
Yeah, this isn't the first time somebody has gotten weird and tried to offer up a free or cheap home on Craigslist in exchange for sexual favors or companionship. But it is nonetheless sad, and creepy, every time I find one. These people generally have to be extremely lonely, I would imagine, to toss common sense out the window and think that such an arrangement could work for more than a month or two before they get robbed and/or murdered.
In this case, we have a guy in his mid-20s who maybe has never had a girlfriend and likely knows extremely little about females in general who says he wants "a meaningful relationship" which he thinks might start out with you being roommates and dating for a while. Because that is always a solid plan that doesn't remind anyone of defecating where one dines.
The photos in this case are less important than the text, but he does seem to want to reinforce the idea that his spare bedroom has a twin bed, so you can maintain your chastity while getting to know each other.
He says, "This ad looks unusual and you have reasons to be skeptical, but it really is a great opportunity if you are single and open to dating as well as looking for a good place / people to live with."
As far as rent, it's "Whatever you want to contribute. I have the whole apartment. If you are a student, no rent is fine."
And perhaps he's going to be a bit selective about this: "Available right now, and will likely be that way for a long time, unless I find the right person fast."
Knowing little about life outside a computer terminal, Mr. Lonely Engineer likely hasn't thought through the scenarios here to their logical ends. And maybe he should at least try OK Cupid first?
A young, attractive woman who thinks she can fend off any potential attempted assaults might take advantage of this opportunity if she were super hard up and in need of a place to live for a while, and she might even start out with good intentions and then, shortly into this disaster, decide she needs out but doesn't have anywhere else to go. At that point things will just get bitter, and Mr. Lonely Engineer will get to experience the joys of a sniping, soul-sucking pre-divorce period without ever having had the pleasures of marriage.
Then of course this is also a perfect opportunity for an attractive, cunning sociopath who, if she plays her cards right, could drive this guy out of his own apartment, claim tenant's rights, and keep the place for herself in the long run by inviting in some new unsuspecting roommate to pay most of the rent.
The latter seems like the likeliest scenario if you ask me, but I can be cynical about these things. Alternately, maybe this guy will find the love of his life, and they'll totally hit it off and shack up and be married by next year. And this will just be a funny story the best man (assuming the guy has friends, who I should hope would have advised against this insane ad) gets to tell at the wedding reception.
Which do you think is more likely?
