Listening to sex workers, this is what the job can be for some of them at least.

And if you watch old French or Italian films, you'll know sex work can be sub rosa juggling multiple generous boyfriends.

Becoming emotionally dependent on someone you pay for intimacy is an extremely precarious thing, not just for the client but also the seller.
Please do not give yourself or them the risk of being tempted by that.
Go to a community center instead, volunteer at an animal center, go to a soup kitchen, donate some clothes at a shelter.
All these places can give you a sense of belonging if you are seeking a genuine connection, don't worry about being desperate, as long as you respect peoples boundaries it will get better with time.

Lemmy responses to comics always make things light hearted and humorous.

Can't say I haven't fantasized about doing something like this before.

"I don't like it when people think about reality"

This one’s for free but you gotta pay it forward

It changes the tone of the comic whether the background consists of damaged wall plaster or cum stains.

Tbf that's not a hug, and that doesn't solve the issue of wanting a hug.

I'm offering free hugs for all in need

same, and I'm married.

Bruh

I love my wife. don't think otherwise. our intimacy is just...nonexistent.

So close yet so far away.

If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

I can't afford that.

Hugs are important because of what they mean - care, support, belonging.

Paying someone to do it won't solve it either. You can't replace the work and time of building up trusting and caring relationships with money.

As OP said - work in a food shelter, talk to people, invest your time in them - and eventually it'll work out, but not as payment.

he should be looking for escorts then, they do non-sex things too, pay them to chat with the guys/gals, accompany them to functions or dinners.

There's a great documentary about a host club in Osaka, and how a lot of the customers are women who are also in the industry. Despite knowing how everything works they're also basically starved for real human connection so they pay for it anyway.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Happiness_Space

Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?

You will be amazed to know that is the case in many marriages.

not too amazed, I've witnessed it myself in many other couples that I know.

They're also important because physical touch is a need in and of itself. No matter what, in the end, we are still animals, with animalistic needs. You can't just think or will yourself out of them

You're right that interactions are not hugs, but they create friendships with people with whom it is both socially acceptable and emotionally healthy to hug. If you don't hug your friends, you're missing out in life.

Really? To me this seems like a comic that's meant more for starting conversations than actual humor, because the subject matter is inherently political.

Also, it's just not very funny is it?

TBH, the sort of people who would get to the point of paying a stranger for a hug wouldn't necessarily be the sort of people who would progress a social connection with a stranger to the point of hugging. Building up a relationship, platonic or otherwise, takes time and effort, and often the ones that best fill those roles in our lives are also those we don't regularly meet in person.

Plaster damage from cleaning up all the blood...and cum.

It would be so nice to see your face at my door.

That really sucks... I am going through a divorce and we still have our moments of affection or more. Knowing that we won't know when the next time we will have this kind of connection with someone, if ever, means we are trying to enjoy this last part before its gone forever. We also have 2 kids so we will always be together in some way. My guess is this will continue until one of us actually does find someone else.

Anyway, go get it! Its like one of the best benefits of being married if you ask me. I couldnt imagine not being close with my partner a few times a week. Even just cuddling feels so relaxing.

I've been there, it's not a fun place to be. If anything, it hurts even more than simply missing hugs.

As i have seen with my ex-wife, love alone sometimes isn't enough.

I desperately need a hair cut but I've been touch starved long enough that I may just black out from the endorphin rush the moment some poor stylist touches my hair.

But it doesn't help to know