A 23-year-old woman receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) clashed with her mother over a $480 bra purchased with her disability allowance

A 23-year-old woman receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) clashed with her mother over a $480 bra purchased with her disability allowance

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A 23-year-old woman receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) clashed with her mother over a $480 bra purchased with her disability allowance. She reportedly locked her mother in and threatened to separate their households. She later posted on the LIHKG forum, questioning, "Was I completely wrong?", sparking heated discussion.

A 23-year-old CSSA recipient had a heated argument with her mother over a $480 bra purchased with her disability allowance. The woman, who claims to suffer from bipolar disorder, locked her mother in and threatened to separate their households. The incident prompted social workers to intervene. The woman subsequently posted on the LIHKG forum, questioning, "Was I completely wrong?", which ignited a heated debate.

The temptation of a "buy two, get one free" offer at a lingerie store

The woman's post, titled "CSSA woman in Hong Kong argues with family after buying a HK$480 bra, applies for a separate CSSA account, and seeks advice online," states that she has suffered from bipolar disorder since the age of 15. She revealed that while shopping with her mother recently, she saw a bra in a shapewear store and found it to be a perfect fit; a single bra cost HK$480.

Under the salesperson's aggressive "buy two, get one free" offer (three bras for HK$960), the woman decided to buy them. However, her mother, who had initially agreed to pay, backed out because "the CSSA allowance is indeed a bit expensive." The woman was extremely dissatisfied, believing that "I don't own more than two decent bras in the whole house, so buying three more isn't unreasonable," and ultimately used her disability allowance to pay for the purchase.

Angered, the woman returned home and locked her mother inside, relentlessly demanding repayment.

Initially thinking she could settle the matter with her own money, the woman stated that she grew increasingly angry. Since she arrived home first, she decided to lock the door, refusing entry to her mother. She even sent her mother an ultimatum via WhatsApp: "Paying back debts is a matter of course; if you don't pay, don't come in."

The woman revealed that her mother secretly owed her over $8,000. She emphasized, "Actually, I only want her to pay me $960." Upon returning home and finding the door locked, her mother became enraged. Although she eventually managed to enter, she threw a tantrum, pulling out her travel permit and threatening to "return to mainland China." She even ran downstairs to borrow money from friends to repay her daughter.

Social worker intervention led to a decision to separate her into a separate household for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients.

This farcical "bra controversy" ultimately required the intervention of a social worker handling the case. After some back and forth, the mother deducted 1,000 yuan from the debt and returned it to the debtor. However, that evening, the two sides started arguing again.

The person involved announced a surprising decision in a post: "I've finally decided to separate my Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) account from theirs, and I won't need to ask them for money anymore." They then sought opinions online: "Was I completely wrong? Was they wrong? And how can I prevent this from happening again?"

Netizens questioned the use of disability benefits to buy a bra, mocking it as a form of unconventional self-reliance.

The post sparked heated discussion. Some netizens expressed strong disapproval of the attitude of someone receiving CSSA yet demanding a certain quality of life, stating, "Knowing you're too poor to receive CSSA, how dare you ask for a decent bra? Having what you need is enough." Others lamented, "The poorer people are, the more they feel entitled to demand 'decent' items." One angry worker even commented, "My taxes are used to support people like this. What's the point of my lifelong frugality?" and "Working day and night, paying taxes to support these parasites, it's truly pathetic and unfair."

Some netizens mocked the woman, suggesting that the argument might have concealed a perfect "public housing and Comprehensive Social Security arbitrage guide": "Two friends can put on a show and scam multiple public housing units." The original poster (OP) herself bluntly replied, "Separate units for mentally ill individuals, one public housing unit per person."

Some netizens even became "welfare experts," calculating the OP's financial situation. They pointed out that with a "white card" (disability certificate) and this argument leading to separate units, she had achieved a kind of financial freedom. Normally, her standard disability allowance plus transportation allowance would only amount to a little over $2,000 per month, but by "pretending to argue and separate units from her elderly mother, becoming a single person," her monthly standard allowance plus community living allowance could reach $4,760, resulting in an annual income of $57,120. Furthermore, if she "didn't move into public housing during the transition period, she could receive a rent allowance reimbursed in full."