{"id":21285,"date":"2018-11-16T12:54:54","date_gmt":"2018-11-16T17:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/philip.greenspun.com\/blog\/?p=21285"},"modified":"2018-11-13T11:18:19","modified_gmt":"2018-11-13T16:18:19","slug":"marriage-and-alimony-are-acceptable-but-being-single-and-letting-a-guy-give-you-things-is-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/philip.greenspun.com\/blog\/2018\/11\/16\/marriage-and-alimony-are-acceptable-but-being-single-and-letting-a-guy-give-you-things-is-not\/","title":{"rendered":"“Marriage and alimony are acceptable, but being single and letting a guy give you things is not”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“How to Date a Lot of Billionaires”<\/a> (nytimes, 11\/10\/2018):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Matharoo sisters never intended to become a cautionary tale about the perils of social media influence. They were born and raised in Toronto, by middle-class parents who had immigrated from India. The sisters\u2019 lives changed abruptly 10 years ago, when Jyoti, fresh out of college, met a Nigerian petroleum magnate.<\/p>

\u201cHe\u2019s not a rapper with expensive watches,\u201d said Jyoti. \u201cIt\u2019s generations and generations of money.\u201d<\/p>

He flew both sisters on private jets to France and Greece and eventually to Nigeria, a destination they did not disclose to their strict parents. Upon landing, a convoy of Mercedes-Benz G-Class S.U.V.s drove them to his home, a heavily marbled mansion with a pool and a litany of servants. Kiran lazed away poolside while Jyoti accompanied her lover to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to play polo with a prince.<\/p>

\u201cIt all happened so fast,\u201d Jyoti said. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t even a moment for us to be like, \u2018Is this really happening?\u2019\u201d<\/p>

Within a few months, she said, he bought her a condominium in Toronto and began giving her a monthly $10,000 stipend so she would not have to work.<\/p>

This affair was not to be a forever love, though. Over the years, the sisters globe-trotted with a succession of paramours. In particular, both sisters traveled frequently to Nigeria and said that dating wealthy men there was easy. \u201cOnce they find out you have a sister, it\u2019s over,\u201d Kiran said. \u201cWe don\u2019t find them. They find us.\u201d<\/p>

Neither would say exactly how many billionaires they had dated. \u201cIf you say more than one, you\u2019re automatically considered a gold digger,\u201d said Jyoti, though she admitted that the number is higher than one. \u201cI\u2019m attracted by the power of who they are, what they do and what position they are on the Forbes billionaire list.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In the explicitly amoral societies of the U.S. and Canada, others would like to adopt this lifestyle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Matharoos also said they have been inundated with messages from women asking for guidance on finding a billionaire sugar daddy. \u201cSurely you can shed some tips on how to become a kept woman who is still doing her thing,\u201d read a typical message sent to Kiran\u2019s Snapcha[t].<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

(The Times journalist and editors helpfully include some of the sisters’ best tips in the article.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet a U.S. government agent suggests disapproval:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently Jyoti arrived at the Toronto airport with a plane ticket to Houston, only to find herself interrogated by United States customs officials.<\/p>

\u201cThey were grilling me, like, \u2018So, are you a prostitute?<\/strong> When was the last time you had a boyfriend,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cI said, \u2018I didn\u2019t know being single was a crime.\u2019 I was so mad. Then I started crying.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

One sister correctly points out that a quickie marriage to a high-income target, followed by a family court-ordered cash stream, and\/or getting pregnant and harvesting profitable child support<\/a> (or selling the abortion; Canada offers unlimited child support<\/a> and legal abortion, therefore lending itself nicely to this means of earning a living), wouldn’t lead to any uncomfortable questions at the border:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMarriage and alimony are acceptable, but being single and letting a guy give you things is not,\u201d Jyoti said. \u201cYou have to own it. I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m a piece of property.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Related:<\/p>\n\n\n\n