« The Troubles Of Military Men | Main | The Politics Of Picking A Date Movie »
October 23, 2007
The Funny Side Of Relationship Breakup Advice
We've all had those moments where we knew it was over but didn't quite know what to do about it. It's a hard thing to do well, and under the best possible circumstances it would be stressful, so we tend to put if off while asking our friends for relationship breakup advice. I still don't know what to tell people, but the last time I was wondering what to do, a friend of mine came up with and idea to solve the problem once and for all... and to make some cash. Her plan was for a breakup-brokerage, a company that would provide a whole range of services, but would focus mostly on helping people at the end of a relationship get back all the stuff they'd left at each other's apartments. Gone would be the days of standing awkwardly in doorways with a box of junk. It would be like the dark side of dating personals.
That's a pretty good start, but while I was writing this I thought to actually look up the idea. Apparently, according to a BBC News article, there is a guy in Germany that has actually put together a company he considers to be the solution to the whole issue of awkwardness associated with breaking it off with someone. This guy, for a fee, will actually call whoever it is you're ending it with and tell them for you. For a little extra, he'll do it in person. I'm a pretty mild-mannered guy, but I imagine I'd get pretty irate if someone dumped me by proxy. So the guy who thought up this company has to be pretty brave, because you couldn't pay me enough money to do the job. Life is short enough.
This isn't the most useful relationship breakup advice, and I'm sure there are way better ways of ending a Relationship. The awkwardness is probably that annoying thing, not unlike your conscience, that tells you that you are being a good, civilized human being. Still, it would be nice if things were easier, and on some bad days these ideas made me crack a smile.
Posted by Leon at October 23, 2007 2:52 AM
