A divorce lawyer recently uploaded a video to TikTok explaining why men should always pay for meals on first dates, sparking a debate among commenters.
The video, uploaded on April 12, has amassed over 509,000 views and 52,000 likes as of this writing.
According to Lee, it is in the best interest of men to pay for their first dates’ meals to figure out whether their date partner has a “sense of entitlement” and the “audacity to expect a near stranger to pay for them.” Lee explains that paying on the first date can be considered a test into whether the person, who he describes as someone who “you may end up marrying,” is “entitled” or “appreciative.”
Lee then says that if a man observes that his date is expecting him to pay, then “you just learned that the person in front of you is entitled.”
“Just imagine how someone like that will treat their significant other, their spouse, for a low, low price of $20, $30, $40 or whatever. You learned that the person in front of you does not have the basic courtesy to pretend to offer to pay, and that, therefore, you should never go on another date with them,” Lee said in the video.
While some users commented to agree with Lee’s theory, many others said that men paying first is considered a traditional custom. Some others also suggested that whoever offers the date should pay first.
One user commented, “whoever asks for the date, pays” while another wrote, “If a guy is already so calculative on the first date and expects to split the bill, I would gladly take the full bill and not meet him again.”
Lee posted a follow-up video the next day explaining that “no one owes sh*t to anyone” and that it’s “all about what you want.”
Featured Image via @jleejd
