A German man has taken a court order to give his ex-wife half of his property after their divorce somewhat literally. He has cut up his stuff, from a car down to an iPhone, with power tools. He’s now selling his share on eBay.
The identity of the divorced man is unknown, but he goes by the name “Der Juli” online. He posted a YouTube video for a Laura, presumably his former wife, thanking her for “12 beautiful years” together and saying she had earned half of the household. He also claims that his ex was unfaithful.
An iPhone, a flatscreen TV and even an Opel Corsa are all meticulously sawn in half in the video. The man in the clip appears to be the handling power tools quite professionally.
The halves “Der Juli” considers rightfully his are currently for sale on eBay. A total of 16 items are offered. Buyers in need of half a teddy bear, half a bicycle or half a vinyl record of R.E.M. album “Automatic for the People” should keep in mind that shipping is only available in Germany.
Each item has a humorous if disgruntled description. The car is said to be well-preserved for its age, but have signs of wear. “In particular, half is missing,” it says. Of the bed, “Der Juli” writes that, unlike his ex, he cannot say anything bad about it. A set of four half-chairs, he believes, would make a good art installation. And the half-DVD of a German nighttime comedy show he’s selling contains the best sketches, he says.
One of the items is half a motorcycle helmet, which, “Der Juli” says, offers good visibility on the right side. The semi-protective gear is on the head of a tanned man, who appears to be in his 40s, his eyes painted over to make recognition difficult. Presumably, it’s the eponymous seller himself.
It’s not clear whether the divorce story is true or just a hoax. The video has scored over 3.3 million views since its publication on Tuesday, so one way or another, “Der Juli” seems to have made his point.
Splitting everything literally in half is not as uncommon in divorces as you might think.
In 2008, a 76-year-old Serbian farmer, married for 45 years, used a grinding machine to cut in half his farm tools and machines to comply with a court ruling to share the household goods with his ex. He was still thinking about how to split the cow, reports said.