Kind of a disturbing link, but it illustrates a valid point.
Some things work well without a relationship backing them.
Other things don’t.
This shows up in a clash of cultures – different cultures consider different activities to be relational. There’s a classic (urban?) legend of a missionary who accepts/gives a gift of some sort upon arrival in a new place, and finds that he has married someone by accident. Hilarity ensues.
The question is not whether or not something is relational or mercenary, but whether it is one or the other for the wrong reasons.