The Kindness of Strangers

Like Blanche DuBois, I can confidently say that I’ve always relied on the kindness of strangers. I will willingly slurp up any drink that’s bought for me, crash out on any couch available, and take travel tips from lazy-eyed hostel dwellers (NB: this mantra isn’t recommended for everyone). And, for the most part, it’s a strategy that’s worked for me; yes, I’m fully aware that I might wake up in an iced bathtub sans kidneys. But usually, I’ll just end up underneath a Nova Scotia underpass with a bunch of gregarious Australian backpackers, a purple grill, and a collection of noteworthy (if not hazy) stories. It’s a risk that I’m willing to take.

But then there’s the flipside, the jarring reality that the great unknown isn't always populated by bleached-blonde, kiwi fun-seekers. Take, for example, Edarem, Youtube’s newest – and potentially creepiest – starlet. Now, he is probably what your mom had in mind when she cautioned you about strangers. But don’t believe us – check the videos below.







(just forward to about 2:30 in that last video)

Now, despite that fact that he resembles a hybrid of …


… and …


… We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Mostly, he’s just a lonely coot who shares strangely perverse relationships with his dogs, possesses an uncanny singing ability, and films himself scratching his back with a toilet brush. Get your mind out of the gutter: there’s nothing that suggests that he’s a ephebophilic sexual deviant-vampire – his status as a registered sex offender notwithstanding. Honestly.

I don’t think that I’ll need to take a cold shower ever again.