Man's prank to sell girlfriend on eBay leads to $119K bid

frizz said:

For context, I'm a woman, and I honestly just don't find sexist jokes about us being sold as a commodity funny or acceptable. The fact that his girlfriend found it light hearted and funny doesn't suddenly make it an okay thing to say. Also, rather than him being "attacked", it's more about holding him accountable for saying a shitty thing. For the majority of women, we've experienced sexual harassment on some sort of level, whether it be verbal or physical, and it all boils down to the same idea that demeaning women is okay. I'm sorry, but jokes like this are totally inappropriate and only serve to normalise this way of treating/speaking about women.

But yeah, in regards to my original post; if I sound angry, it's because I am. I'm so sick and tired of people being okay with this sort of thing. It isn't okay.

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Xita said:

Yup, like clockwork. Also because the woman in question was fine with it that makes it okay!

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So sincere question:
A man and a woman in a relationship aren't allowed to play jokes or pranks upon one another that others may find offensive?

That's what is being said right now. I said it was naive and lacked tact but he didn't do it to you, he didn't do it to a random woman, he did it to his partner of one year. To someone who you could reasonably assume he would know the type of humour she would find acceptable between them.

Again I have said numerous times how, when publicised and broadcast as an article, I can appreciate people find it distasteful, insensitive, dumb and more. However the actual occurrence was as a joke between two people in a relationship. To that extent I don't understand why your distaste governs what they can or can't do or say between one another, and how her finding it an acceptable (and funny) means of retaliation has no bearing on what should be allowed between them.

TinfoilHatsROn said:

And one day people will learn to make better analogies. It's nice to dream right?

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Let me just bend over backwards to appease bad faith whiners who fully understand a point but choose to nitpick its delivery. I eagerly await your approval, mr. online stranger who I live to please.

Rendering... said:

Offended? Outrage culture? Now you're just throwing words around.

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What he is trying to say is 'I know you are but what am I'.

House_Of_Lightning said:

> they laughed about it


I need to know if her laughter was nervous as fuck or not.

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Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. There's a chance she's actually cool with it, but I won't be shocked if it turned out that she liked it as much as the down-punching racist jokes white people sometimes think their PoC friends like. Sometimes people just don't want to make waves, and try to move on.

Another thread in the tale of the Era Ouroboros

Steeped in a Sea of Games said:

You could actually try to read some of the posts explaining it to you very clearly instead of just shouting into the void. Hard to take you seriously when you won't even address the criticisms levied.

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Don't take me seriously I don't really care. I certainly don't take your ramblings seriously.

People in this topic are suggesting this shouldn't have happened because it makes light of human trafficking. That's complete rubbish. This is a complete and utter joke about someone pretending to sell someone on eBay messing around. Not at one point did he try to make this look serious or suggest this was a serious sale(can't believe I even need to say that)

This is nothing to do with gender either. It's two people in a relationship having a bit of fun. She whipped him and pretended he was a horse and he pretended to sell her on eBay because of it. There is nothing more to this story then that.

It got a sensible chuckle from me. It's not the maddest of banter but it's probably quite nice banter between the guy and his girlfriend, they both seemed to have enjoyed messing about with it. I don't see the need to go into deep social commentary about women as property, sex trafficking etc etc, I don't see this mild prank as indicative of some wider societal decay.

Whatever you make a joke about chances are it's offensive to someone, somehow, somewhere, some stuff you just have to roll your eyes about and move on.

Kyuuji said:

So sincere question:
A man and a woman in a relationship aren't allowed to play jokes or pranks upon one another that others may find offensive?

That's what is being said right now. I said it was naive and lacked tact but he didn't do it to you, he didn't do it to a random woman, he did it to his partner of one year. To someone who you could reasonably assume he would know the type of humour she would find acceptable between them.

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It wasn't just between them. It was them and the thousands of people who saw the Ebay auction, the people who actually bid, the other many thousands who talked about the auction and anyone reading this story or even this thread. Nothing on the internet happens in a vacuum.

Steeped in a Sea of Games said:

It wasn't just between them. It was them and the thousands of people who saw the Ebay auction, the people who actually bid, the other many thousands who talked about the auction and anyone reading this story or even this thread. Nothing on the internet happens in a vacuum.

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Which is why I explicitly asked you whether it was this on the last page:

Steeped in a Sea of Games said:

Even if she was fine with it doesn't mean everyone would be

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Kyuuji said:

Why would everyone have to be, it was a joke between two people in a relationship? Or do you mean stumbling across it on eBay or via the article?

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..and have mentioned on multiple occasions how I can appreciate people not finding the story amusing, instead distasteful.

Steeped in a Sea of Games said:

Another topic filled with mostly men trying to downplay the many women telling them shit like this isn't ok. Pretty gross.

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Why are you taking away this woman's agency?

This was a joke between 2 people. He didnt list "many women" for sale. He played a joke on his partner who is perfectly fine with it. Who are you to tell anyone that's not ok?

Xita said:

Yup, like clockwork. Also because the woman in question was fine with it that makes it okay!

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Well, yeah?

People in relationships do all sorts of things that wouldn't be acceptable for them do to other people.

If you wouldn't be cool with your partner doing this to you, that's obviously your right, but it's not your, or anyone else's place to criticise the appropriateness of what this guy did in the context of their relationship.

Steeped in a Sea of Games said:

I'm sorry, I was under the impression that you were just whining about your inability to enjoy shitty things without facing criticism and trying to downplay it by blowing shit up to extremely hyperbolic levels. Jesus christ.

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You sound very aggravated, sorry, that was not my intention. I did use hyperbole, to showcase where the attitude of finding humor that offends some people "problematic" could eventually lead. Things like that already happened through history, my country included.

It was a joke that both parties consented but it doesn't matter on era because it's offensive to them. Who was hurt? No one. Who was offended? No one. Then why are you offended?. You're not part of the story.
"Just because she was okay with it doesn't make it fine". Yes, yes it does. Stop painting everyone as a monster for no reason. He wasn't making fun of human trafficking. He made a joke about selling his gf on eBay.
This extreme shit needs to stop.

It's ok. Just because some people think this is sexist doesn't mean your not allowed to laugh. The world will keep spinning.

Typical Era thread, not surprised by the responses.

frizz said:

oi casual sexism is heaps funny hey hahaha am I right boys??

fuck this dude

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Writing that with the avatar you have is something else...
For context:


This substory is FILLED with casual sexism - just like the whole game actually.

To the dudes playing the "outrage culture much am I right" : at least you realize that the responses the ebay posting got are weird, no?

I mean, the deal between the couple is their business for sure but dudes being thirsty enough to put 100k on the line to "buy" a woman... even as a joke, massive "HEH" from me.

NoName999 said:

So some guy was upset that his girlfriend... slapped his ass?

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Which part of the story gives the impression he was upset? It was clearly all just a joke.

Starvigil said:

It was a joke that both parties consented but it doesn't matter on era because it's offensive to them. Who was hurt? No one. Who was offended? No one. Then why are you offended?. You're not part of the story.
"Just because she was okay with it doesn't make it fine". Yes, yes it does. Stop painting everyone as a monster for no reason. He wasn't making fun of human trafficking. He made a joke about selling his gf on eBay.
This extreme shit needs to stop.

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I'm only responding to this because you guys are all jumping on the same argument and losing sight of the forest for the trees.

The dude literally commodified his girlfriend and put her at risk of harassment. That's literally all there is to it. If you can't understand why people, especially women aren't happy with someone literally advertising their significant other as an item, joke or not, accepted by her or not, I literally can't help you beyond again asking that you try to think about the overall implications of your actions before you act on them. I will remind you that MANY men literally see women as things to be used up and discarded and that's definitely NOT funny to most women. Putting shit like this out into the world in this way just helps further an extremely harmful stereotype and is hurtful and disrespectful in a lot of ways, including to victims of actual trafficking. I understand this wasn't the dude's intention, but that's partly because he, and many of you have had the privilege to not live knowing that many other people see you as just another thing to be bought, sold, used up, and discarded.

All of you need to practice looking outside of your bubble a little more. At least try to see shit from another angle.

I chuckled. Bet she went back and bought that whip from the riding shop when she saw this part, though: "the rear end leaks a bit but nothing that can't be plugged."

Starvigil said:

It was a joke that both parties consented but it doesn't matter on era because it's offensive to them. Who was hurt? No one. Who was offended? No one. Then why are you offended?. You're not part of the story.
"Just because she was okay with it doesn't make it fine". Yes, yes it does. Stop painting everyone as a monster for no reason. He wasn't making fun of human trafficking. He made a joke about selling his gf on eBay.
This extreme shit needs to stop.

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Where I'm at too. Of course, I wouldn't have been surprised if I got banned / warned for stating it.

Steeped in a Sea of Games said:

I'm only responding to this because you guys are all jumping on the same argument and losing sight of the forest for the trees.

The dude literally commodified his girlfriend and put her at risk of harassment. That's literally all there is to it. If you can't understand why people, especially women aren't happy with someone literally advertising their significant other as an item, joke or not, accepted by her or not, I literally can't help you beyond again asking that you try to think about the overall implications of your actions before you act on them. I will remind you that MANY men literally see women as things to be used up and discarded and that's definitely NOT funny to most women. Putting shit like this out into the world in this way just helps further an extremely harmful stereotype and is hurtful and disrespectful in a lot of ways, including to victims of actual trafficking. I understand this wasn't the dude's intention, but that's partly because he, and many of you have had the privilege to not live knowing that many other people see you as just another thing to be bought, sold, used up, and discarded.

All of you need to practice looking outside of your bubble a little more. At least try to see shit from another angle.

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Sure, you can look from the wrong angle. The man and his gf were having a joke between themselves. Perhaps their relationship is playful and they understand each others bounds, and weren't out there to make a social stand for the world. Perhaps the ebay listing doesn't include personal details like her name, her address, her facebook contact details. Perhaps they're now going to continue on with their lifes after this little bit of personal amusement.

H.Protagonist said:

I chuckled. Bet she went back and bought that whip from the riding shop when she saw this part, though: "the rear end leaks a bit but nothing that can't be plugged."

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Yeah and made sure his rear end leaked too when she was done with it.

Tence said:

Yeah and made sure his rear end leaked too when she was done with it.

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I've been trying to make a proper pun/job posting for her to offer him as, but they all sound too back pages of Craigslist. She's at the least got leverage for several years of back rubs.

FutureLarking said:

Where I'm at too. Of course, I wouldn't have been surprised if I got banned / warned for stating it.



Sure, you can look from the wrong angle. The man and his gf were having a joke between themselves. Perhaps their relationship is playful and they understand each others bounds, and weren't out there to make a social stand for the world. Perhaps the ebay listing doesn't include personal details like her name, her address, her facebook contact details. Perhaps they're now going to continue on with their lifes after this little bit of personal amusement.

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Meanwhile there's a 119 thousand dollar reminder for women that there's always someone out there ready to buy you as an item and that's no joke.

Kyuuji said:

So sincere question:
A man and a woman in a relationship aren't allowed to play jokes or pranks upon one another that others may find offensive?

That's what is being said right now. I said it was naive and lacked tact but he didn't do it to you, he didn't do it to a random woman, he did it to his partner of one year. To someone who you could reasonably assume he would know the type of humour she would find acceptable between them.

Again I have said numerous times how, when publicised and broadcast as an article, I can appreciate people find it distasteful, insensitive, dumb and more. However the actual occurrence was as a joke between two people in a relationship. To that extent I don't understand why your distaste governs what they can or can't do or say between one another, and how her finding it an acceptable (and funny) means of retaliation has no bearing on what should be allowed between them.

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I'm glad you can appreciate that people find it distasteful, for sure. And I think if they want to make those jokes between each other, that isn't up to me to decide, of course. But I still believe that just because one woman doesn't find it offensive, that doesn't mean it's not offensive in the way that it does demoralise and dehumanise women in general.

Dadasch said:

Typical Era thread, not surprised by the responses.

Writing that with the avatar you have is something else...

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I was thinking about that today actually, and that's a valid comment to make. But, I think it's still entirely possible to enjoy certain aspects of games while also actively recognising that many of them have toxic characterisations of women. Especially considering it would be ruling out a lot of otherwise great games! This is probably said a bit better in this thread over in gaming: https://www.resetera.com/threads/wh...ave-no-pants-and-i-must-scream-read-op.65064/

Since you're referring to my avatar, I'll just say that the parts of Yakuza 0 where women are portrayed as props, commodities, and sometimes dehumanised (substories, teleclubs, cabaret clubs, catfight clubs, and even the characterisation of the Pleasure King) make me deeply uncomfortable, and I avoid it where I can. Still got some damn good alternative mini games to choose from, and wild soap-drama style fun in it though, for sure

I'm probably in derail territory now but, so I'll just leave it there

Steeped in a Sea of Games said:

All of you need to practice looking outside of your bubble a little more. At least try to see shit from another angle.

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Hahaha that's hilarious. I would say take your own advice.

LuisGarcia said:

I cannot believe that anyone could possibly get offended by this. How could someone possibly label this as sexism? Use your brains.

They were both in on the joke and found it funny. It was a couple having fun together and being playful. She was aware of the situstisi the enitre time.

Especially in the UK where banter and pranks are quite common between couples. Honestly this place is mad sometimes.

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I mean, aside from the whole making light of human trafficking thing: Women are so whiny, lol! And they get all wrinkly once they're over 30!
Get the sexism now?

You'll lose your mind if you get this irate about everything.

This thread shows off really well the reasons why I hate Era sometimes.

Always so serious.

Xaszatm said:

This really reads like "how dare people be triggered by this story!!!!"

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If that's what you get from it then I can't help you.

Mistouze said:

To the dudes playing the "outrage culture much am I right" : at least you realize that the responses the ebay posting got are weird, no?

I mean, the deal between the couple is their business for sure but dudes being thirsty enough to put 100k on the line to "buy" a woman... even as a joke, massive "HEH" from me.

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I don't think anyone thinks the bid itself was funny. That part in particular is more of a "yikes, someone actually did it" thing.

Rendering... said:

One day people will learn that analogies don't function as a 1:1 map of their subject. One day people will understand that the interchangeable details of an anology are irrelevant when the point is structure and general properties, not content.

"Your car has worse traction than a sled on a mudslide."

"Sleds don't have wheels, lol, and also it's winter and there's no mud here!"

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1 to 1 no... but your analogy was like 1 to 5 billion.

Like if I drew up an analogy that compares your point to the KKK or the Nazis... would you accept my defense of analogies aren't 1 to 1?

frizz said:

I'm glad you can appreciate that people find it distasteful, for sure. And I think if they want to make those jokes between each other, that isn't up to me to decide, of course. But I still believe that just because one woman doesn't find it offensive, that doesn't mean it's not offensive in the way that it does demoralise and dehumanise women in general.

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That's a fair comment. I think people in relationships can do and say things that if applied to others generally or randomly would be offensive and hurtful. We all have our tolerances for humour and often they will naturally be higher with those that we've formed bonds with, or those that we love. I know my partner can makes jokes with me that I'll find hilarious and laugh at, that I would likely take offense were it a third party. The same is true from I to her. I was going to mention it earlier but didn't want to downplay your view of things by it being taken the wrong way, but I do feel the worse move was going out and publicising it in an article. It's that which starts to widely promote it external to their relationship.

Dumb shit like this used to go viral years ago? Sometimes it was the "selling something funny of my partners because they are an asshole", which might have ended up going through because its not against TOS even if the description is exaggerated/made up.

Other times it was stupid TOS breaking stuff like selling ghosts or haunted shit, or selling boxes without the item without stating it. Or other "poorly described" things. Some of which Ebay ended up dealing with in the end and bulking up their rules/TOS.

Most people just laughed and/or reported and moved on. I don't see why this dumb joke is getting an international debate on sexism? How about you focus on actual human trafficking if you're really concerned and not some dumb Ebay joke gone viral?

Focus your time and effort on things like this https://www.resetera.com/threads/in...ults-students-who-confronted-harassers.73476/ Not a silly ebay joke where both parties seemingly wanted a laugh. But, it's the internet, this topic will undoubtedly have more replies than the above topic.

EarthPainting said:

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. There's a chance she's actually cool with it, but I won't be shocked if it turned out that she liked it as much as the down-punching racist jokes white people sometimes think their PoC friends like. Sometimes people just don't want to make waves, and try to move on.

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Yes, time to project this person is probably racist as well because of some dumb Ebay auction.

Rendering... said:

Here for the humorless replies that pretend context isn't a thing that matters.

Did you know whoopee cushions are a disgusting attack on each and every person who suffers from IBS?!

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lmfao this.

Reminder it kinda stops being a joke between only 2 people when you post it on the internet.

Reminder real people made actual bids and joked about test driving and shit.

Reminder women are treated like shit in society so this kinda stuff can feel gross to some of us even if the two involved were cool with it.

Reminder criticism is a normal thing and it's actually ok if people find this sexist... the joking description of a woman as a product to be used, is a sexist joke, even if the person telling it isn't actually sexist.

Reminder this really could have gone wrong.

Reminder it's possible to think this is gross, sexist and criticize it without that meaning you're outraged and want something done to the person who made the joke.

I'm surprised this thread doesn't have a classic (READ OP) tag on it.

Is it even legal?

excelsiorlef said:

Reminder this really could have gone wrong.

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How could it have gone wrong?

excelsiorlef said:

Reminder this really could have gone wrong.

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How? Please don't tell me you think the guy would really try to sell his GF because of

"But when it was going up to ($170,000) in a day, I said, 'I'm not going to lie, I would have been quite sad to see you go, but it wouldn't have been so sad 'cause I would have been crying in my Ferrari or my Lamborghini."

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oh my god you guys have the personalities of a plank of wood

Wow some guys on this thread are real sensitive sallies about their hi-larious "selling my woman" pranks. I bet the obnoxiously public bants are just off the chainnn and your weirdly violent girlfriends are all VERY COOL.

What the everliving fuck are you talking about

Audioboxer said:

Dumb shit like this used to go viral years ago? Sometimes it was the "selling something funny of my partners because they are an asshole", which might have ended up going through because its not against TOS even if the description is exaggerated/made up.

Other times it was stupid TOS breaking stuff like selling ghosts or haunted shit, or selling boxes without the item without stating it. Or other "poorly described" things. Some of which Ebay ended up dealing with in the end and bulking up their rules/TOS.

Most people just laughed and/or reported and moved on. I don't see why this dumb joke is getting an international debate on sexism? How about you focus on actual human trafficking if you're really concerned and not some dumb Ebay joke gone viral?

Focus your time and effort on things like this https://www.resetera.com/threads/in...ults-students-who-confronted-harassers.73476/ Not a silly ebay joke where both parties seemingly wanted a laugh. But, it's the internet, this topic will undoubtedly have more replies than the above topic.



Yes, time to project this person is probably racist as well because of some dumb Ebay auction.

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It's funny you say that, because I actually do work with sex trafficked victims and crap like this is extremely triggering for them. They see this stuff because they go on places like facebook where something like this is shared. This kind of shit actually makes my job harder. You try to tell a 16 year old who spent 7 years chained to a bed and sold to the lowest bidder over and over again that it's funny to see so many people tripping over themselves to bid on someone's girlfriend. Meanwhile, I'll just be getting kicked in the teeth again while they go back into another violently dissociative state.

Mass_Pincup said:

How could it have gone wrong?

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If the money got paid, he had to complete the sale by law!



But seriously though, for all the people saying "but she laughed about it", that didn't stop it from being a public joke and that there was a bunch of seedy guys getting off on it. It's gross and perpetuates a wrong kind of humor about women where they are defined as possessions. And the ugly subtext is that they often are, in human trafficking and prostitution rings, amongst others. The other problem is that it was deeply unfunny as well.

Dear lord, some of you people must be fun at parties.

"Oh my god, she hit him with a riding crop? That's horribly insensitive! Doesn't she know that riding crops are symbolic of actual animal abuse? Yikes!"

Birdseye said:

Is it even legal?

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Nah. Ebay doesn't let you sell people or ghosts. Nothing would have come of this. It was just a joke.

Steeped in a Sea of Games said:

It's funny you say that, because I actually do work with sex trafficked victims and crap like this is extremely triggering for them. They see this stuff because they go on places like facebook where something like this is shared. This kind of shit actually makes my job harder. You try to tell a 16 year old who spent 7 years chained to a bed and sold to the lowest bidder over and over again that it's funny to see so many people tripping over themselves to bid on someone's girlfriend. Meanwhile, I'll just be getting kicked in the teeth again while they go back into another violently dissociative state.

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That's even worse if you are in a professional role and can't distinguish something ridiculous like this from an actual threat. Real life isn't going to stop going on. Helping victims isn't about sanitizing what they might actually see. Idiots posting a joke Ebay listing is not the kind of thing that it's healthy to make such a deal out of you probably end up triggering people yourself with the song and dance about how "harmful" a viral ebay auction is. You're potentially the one making this a deal by exaggerating the "threat".

A far better response is explaining how the auction was never legitimate, serious or people trying to actually sell each other. It was two dumb jokesters and life has to go on when non-serious stuff causes a minor blip just because it went viral. You invoking serious violence in your post to try and correlate it to this and therefore make anyone replying to you seem like they're downplaying actual trafficking isn't as helpful as you seem to probably think. Even worse than these idiots trying to joke with each other privately and it going viral.

Your personal work is to be lauded if you work with victims and help them, your response to this is not helpful. Victims need empowered around silly things like this, not people in support roles exaggerating the threat of an Ebay auction.

I'm visibly shaking right now.

This is outrageous.

Pretty sure I read a ntr doujin with that plot.

Gakidou said:

Wow some guys on this thread are real sensitive sallies about their hi-larious "selling my woman" pranks. I bet the obnoxiously public bants are just off the chainnn and your weirdly violent girlfriends are all VERY COOL.

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Audioboxer said:

That's even worse if you are in a professional role and can't distinguish something ridiculous like this from an actual threat. Real life isn't going to stop going on. Helping victims isn't about sanitizing what they might actually see. Idiots posting a joke Ebay listing is not the kind of thing that it's healthy to make such a deal out of you probably end up triggering people yourself with the song and dance about how "harmful" a viral ebay auction is.

A far better response is explaining how the auction was never legitimate, serious or people trying to actually sell each other.

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Are you seriously trying to lecture me on how to handle trauma victims? My job has put me in the ER three times. I've literally had to carry coworkers to safety because they couldn't walk after what some of these girls did to people while freaking out over next to nothing. I nearly lost a fucking tooth two weeks ago. You know nothing about what you're talking about. Fuck.

Newt said:

I'm visibly shaking right now.

This is outrageous.

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Look, buddy, you're supposed to set your target bid to your real ceiling. If you tried to game the bidding system you have nobody to blame but yourself.