Why I hate Valentine's Day
Now before you go and pass over this because it's 'just another whiny emo post about how lonely $person is' (which I'm not! I've got wonderful friends, and awesome loved ones to keep me from feeling lonely) like a lot of these probably are (Some people do have a legitimate day for hating February 14th though! Very bad memories for example. Also note I didn't say Valentine's Day there. Though that does add insult to injury, but anyways) I'll let you know that my reasons for hating this day are very different! It has nothing to do with having someone, or not having someone, or wanting someone that you're too afraid to even approace or your best friend's dog stole from you or whatever. No. The reason I hate Valentine's Day is because of what it's become. The new meaning behind the holiday.
Oh sure, it supposedly celebrates a man who is rumored to have wed Christian couples during a time when helping Christians was against the law, which led to his jailing and eventual death (though that was due to attempting to convert the Emperor to Christianity.) I'm a tad lost on the whole feast aspect which is mentioned here and there. I'm all for feasts! But I've yet to experience said feast. Maybe it's a Catholic thing. Regardless, it's supposedly a celebration of love that could not be curtailed by draconian laws (I think it differs among various places/religions). Supposedly.
If that was the case, it sure as hell isn't now. I won't get into the whole 'Singles Awareness Day' aspect which is really bullshit in itself in my opinion. Harsh? Maybe. But hey, humans are easily swayed by emotions, so whatever. The true meaning behind Valentine's Day now is bullied romance by greedy corporate companies looking to cash in on the psychologically weak-minded sheep who willingly bend over backward to the demands of our corporate overlords. The message they send is to spend as much money as you possibly can on your significant other/spouse this one day of the year or you don't even deserve to be in their presence, let alone their life. They even sweeten the deal by offering 'discounts' on your typical Valentine's day items like roses and candies and jewelry and the like. Every effing commercial under the sun drives home the point of 'you have to do this or else' and crams it down your throat. Oh and these discounts? Yeah, no. For example, I saw in several stores recently the price of a dozen roses at around $15. $15! What the hell? I can buy roses any other time of the year for less than that! $8-$9 a dozen! I imagine a lot of these items are similarly priced. Or should I say overpriced. I'm willing to bet that a lot of these 'special' Valentine's day candies that are really just regular candies prettied up for the holiday are priced more than their normal everyday counterparts. Like with Halloween candy. Don't believe me? When they start putting out the halloween candies, look at the prices of these mixed bags of fun-sized (yeah right; nothing fun about those tiy things :P) candies. Then look at the prices of the regular every day non-holiday fun-sized candies they have out. You're paying out the nose for special wrappings on normal candy bars! And people fall for this crap!
That's only half the reason I hate the holiday. Well, all of it, but doesn't really touch what sets me off about the whole affair. This whole having a special day to be romantic for your sweetiepie thing is bullshit. Why do you need a special day? And many have to be bullied into it at that! (The saddest thing is even with V-day being crammed down their throats some people will never be treated to romance.) You want to know what I think is romantic? Spontaneous romance. Wake up to a love note, or a cupcake. Cup of coffee made just the way you like it. Favorite chocolates. Favorite flower. A bunch of flowers. Whatever. A candle-lit dinner. Candle-lit bath, where you wash down your significant other tenderly. Candle-lit massage. Breakfast in the freaking bed! Have an all-night fuckfest (since that seems to be another common thought process for the day) for all I care! The point is, you don't need a set date to do any of this stuff. And you sure as hell don't have to spend huge amounts of $$$ to do it either! I am just so damn sick and tired of seeing all these commercials reminding/bullying/forcing people to buy their crap to show your loved ones how much you love them. It's yet another example of a perfectly decent and respectable holiday gone rampantly corrupt. And it pisses me off.
And that is why I hate Valentine's Day.
That said, my Monday has gone pretty well! Got to go out to eat with family, have birthday cake, and drive an RV for the first time! :D
Oh sure, it supposedly celebrates a man who is rumored to have wed Christian couples during a time when helping Christians was against the law, which led to his jailing and eventual death (though that was due to attempting to convert the Emperor to Christianity.) I'm a tad lost on the whole feast aspect which is mentioned here and there. I'm all for feasts! But I've yet to experience said feast. Maybe it's a Catholic thing. Regardless, it's supposedly a celebration of love that could not be curtailed by draconian laws (I think it differs among various places/religions). Supposedly.
If that was the case, it sure as hell isn't now. I won't get into the whole 'Singles Awareness Day' aspect which is really bullshit in itself in my opinion. Harsh? Maybe. But hey, humans are easily swayed by emotions, so whatever. The true meaning behind Valentine's Day now is bullied romance by greedy corporate companies looking to cash in on the psychologically weak-minded sheep who willingly bend over backward to the demands of our corporate overlords. The message they send is to spend as much money as you possibly can on your significant other/spouse this one day of the year or you don't even deserve to be in their presence, let alone their life. They even sweeten the deal by offering 'discounts' on your typical Valentine's day items like roses and candies and jewelry and the like. Every effing commercial under the sun drives home the point of 'you have to do this or else' and crams it down your throat. Oh and these discounts? Yeah, no. For example, I saw in several stores recently the price of a dozen roses at around $15. $15! What the hell? I can buy roses any other time of the year for less than that! $8-$9 a dozen! I imagine a lot of these items are similarly priced. Or should I say overpriced. I'm willing to bet that a lot of these 'special' Valentine's day candies that are really just regular candies prettied up for the holiday are priced more than their normal everyday counterparts. Like with Halloween candy. Don't believe me? When they start putting out the halloween candies, look at the prices of these mixed bags of fun-sized (yeah right; nothing fun about those tiy things :P) candies. Then look at the prices of the regular every day non-holiday fun-sized candies they have out. You're paying out the nose for special wrappings on normal candy bars! And people fall for this crap!
That's only half the reason I hate the holiday. Well, all of it, but doesn't really touch what sets me off about the whole affair. This whole having a special day to be romantic for your sweetiepie thing is bullshit. Why do you need a special day? And many have to be bullied into it at that! (The saddest thing is even with V-day being crammed down their throats some people will never be treated to romance.) You want to know what I think is romantic? Spontaneous romance. Wake up to a love note, or a cupcake. Cup of coffee made just the way you like it. Favorite chocolates. Favorite flower. A bunch of flowers. Whatever. A candle-lit dinner. Candle-lit bath, where you wash down your significant other tenderly. Candle-lit massage. Breakfast in the freaking bed! Have an all-night fuckfest (since that seems to be another common thought process for the day) for all I care! The point is, you don't need a set date to do any of this stuff. And you sure as hell don't have to spend huge amounts of $$$ to do it either! I am just so damn sick and tired of seeing all these commercials reminding/bullying/forcing people to buy their crap to show your loved ones how much you love them. It's yet another example of a perfectly decent and respectable holiday gone rampantly corrupt. And it pisses me off.
And that is why I hate Valentine's Day.
That said, my Monday has gone pretty well! Got to go out to eat with family, have birthday cake, and drive an RV for the first time! :D