Today's Topic
Would You Pay Your
Ex-girlfriend/boyfriend
a "Break-up Fee"?
Earlier this month, police in Hangzhou responded to a call after bar staff reported finding a suspicious suitcase.It contained two million yuan in cash ($314,204) - an extraordinary amount of money, maybe even life-changing.
They managed to track down the owner, who according to the local police, had arranged to meet with his ex-girlfriend in the bar.
The money?
It was a "break-up fee".
The price of true love?
Everyone knows that dating can be expensive; forking out a bit of cash to buy drinks or meals in the early stages of a relationship, or buying gifts and holidays later on.
No longer content to just have the awkward meeting to hand each others' stuff back, break-up fees have emerged in recent years as a sort of compensation at the end of a long-term relationship.
While not legally binding, it's a bit like one party giving their former partner a divorce settlement.
Put a price on a relationship?
Will it be true love or not?
Who will pay for it?
It's the person that ends the relationship that pays the fee. Based on the amount of time, effort and money they have invested in the relationship, how much money they should give to their former partner.
Some people look pragmatically at the amount of money their partner had spent on them while they were dating, whereas others set a levy based on how severe they think the emotional damage of the break-up will be.
The fee is meant to prevent embittered parties from suffering emotional damage, and to help them start a clean slate with their former partner.
As a plaything?
Users of the popular Sina Weibo microblog were incredulous, with one commenting: "Two million can buy you a decent house in Hangzhou."
It also called some to question the connection between money and love, and to ask whether such customs put added pressure on people to find a partner.
As an ironic comment goes:
- Why do you need money in order to leave?
- How do you regard yourself? A product or plaything?“
How do you think about “break-up fee”?
Welcome to share your views with us!
Source | BBC & ChinaDaily
