My Valentine's Day Rant
Man, if there's one thing that's depressing, it's reading LJ on Valentine's Day. Seems every other entry is someone posting about how much they hate Valentine's Day.
You know what I hate? People who purport to hate Valentine's Day. Dee-pressing.
Complaint #1: "It's a made-up holiday anyway." So? You think the Pilgrims and the Indians actually sat down to dinner together on the last Thursday in November? (And if you want to know if it IS a "real" holiday, ask hrmortica.)
Complaint #2: "It's been taken over by Hallmark, only good for selling cards and overpriced candy." Oh, please. Like Christmas and Easter haven't been completely commercialized. Doesn't mean you have to participate in that part. Sure, the stores are full of red and pink crap--but if I stopped to bitch about every consumer event that filled stores with useless crap, I'd never get anything else done (like posting angsty LJ entries).
Related Complaint #2a: "Roses cost three times as much. Men get pressured into buying expensive jewelry for their girlfriends/wives." So don't buy roses or expensive jewelry. There are a lot of creative, original ways to treat your loved one well, without taking out a second mortgage (which won't win you many spouse points anyway) or spending a fortune on short-lived shrubbery. If you're suckered by TV ads and commercial pressure, is that the holiday's fault?
Complaint #3: "Valentine's Day is depressing when I don't have a relationship/not fair to people without relationships." Yeah, and Mother's Day isn't fair to childless people, Hannukah's not fair to Muslims, and let's not even talk about Presidents' Day. Talk about a minority holiday, that one. Get over yourself, and try to be happy for other people's happiness.
Complaint #4: "Why should there be one single day when we celebrate our love for each other? We should show our love every day of the year!" Sure, go ahead, no one's stopping you. But why not enjoy a special day too? You know, I bet some people display their patriotism all year long, and still go out for fireworks on 4th of July.
Personally, I've got nothing against Valentine's Day. Sure, it can be tacky, expensive, foolish, and superfluous. But that doesn't have to be my problem unless I choose to make it so. And besides, our wedding anniversary is on March 1, when restaurant prices drop in half and every other couple isn't out celebrating at the same time. So we generally make V-day a small thing, and whoop it up two weeks later. But we don't go around bad-mouthing everyone who chooses otherwise. Chill out, you Valentine-haters.
You know what I hate? People who purport to hate Valentine's Day. Dee-pressing.
Complaint #1: "It's a made-up holiday anyway." So? You think the Pilgrims and the Indians actually sat down to dinner together on the last Thursday in November? (And if you want to know if it IS a "real" holiday, ask hrmortica.)
Complaint #2: "It's been taken over by Hallmark, only good for selling cards and overpriced candy." Oh, please. Like Christmas and Easter haven't been completely commercialized. Doesn't mean you have to participate in that part. Sure, the stores are full of red and pink crap--but if I stopped to bitch about every consumer event that filled stores with useless crap, I'd never get anything else done (like posting angsty LJ entries).
Related Complaint #2a: "Roses cost three times as much. Men get pressured into buying expensive jewelry for their girlfriends/wives." So don't buy roses or expensive jewelry. There are a lot of creative, original ways to treat your loved one well, without taking out a second mortgage (which won't win you many spouse points anyway) or spending a fortune on short-lived shrubbery. If you're suckered by TV ads and commercial pressure, is that the holiday's fault?
Complaint #3: "Valentine's Day is depressing when I don't have a relationship/not fair to people without relationships." Yeah, and Mother's Day isn't fair to childless people, Hannukah's not fair to Muslims, and let's not even talk about Presidents' Day. Talk about a minority holiday, that one. Get over yourself, and try to be happy for other people's happiness.
Complaint #4: "Why should there be one single day when we celebrate our love for each other? We should show our love every day of the year!" Sure, go ahead, no one's stopping you. But why not enjoy a special day too? You know, I bet some people display their patriotism all year long, and still go out for fireworks on 4th of July.
Personally, I've got nothing against Valentine's Day. Sure, it can be tacky, expensive, foolish, and superfluous. But that doesn't have to be my problem unless I choose to make it so. And besides, our wedding anniversary is on March 1, when restaurant prices drop in half and every other couple isn't out celebrating at the same time. So we generally make V-day a small thing, and whoop it up two weeks later. But we don't go around bad-mouthing everyone who chooses otherwise. Chill out, you Valentine-haters.