Anyone who knows me knows that I have opinions on…well…everything, and sometimes a little feisty when I feel like it. Hey, I can own it.
What I am not, is a sucker for advertising or marketing scams or a blind follower of social “rules”. With that being said, I will let you in on a little secret: I’m also a romantic.
And that, my friends, is why I think Valentine’s Day is a fool’s “holiday” and a total waste of the concept of a “special” day.
Corporations want you to believe that Valentine’s Day is about love & romance. That’s only so they can get your money.
Just as a disclaimer, I feel the same way even when I do have someone in my life at this time of the year so it’s not that I’m being bitter at being single!
Why would a supposed romantic be against the concept of Valentine’s Day? The reasons are simple, yet many.
The first thing I hate about this supposed holiday is how, counter to the popular saying “money can’t buy love”, everything about celebrating the day revolve around buying gifts. The overriding message is you can win your lady’s heart with jewelry or cars.
Hell, Jennifer Lopez had the balls to write a song called “Love Don’t Cost a Thing”… I wonder what would happen if her boyfriend/husband just gave her a card with a balloon and a rose.
That leads into the next thing I can’t stand: the blatant hypocrisy For so long women have fought to have the same rights as men on every level. Then, why do so many of them sit back and accept the shit put out there by all of the money-makers that the man should be showering the woman with gifts? Where are the commercials of the women giving the men a fancy new Breitling or a car? And where are all the women’s groups protesting now!?
And why are past acts of douchery seemingly forgiven? It’s like a guy or girl can be a neglectful asshole or bitch for 364 days, but if they go out of their way to do something special on this one day…BAM!… all is magically forgiven. Or at least that’s how it appears to work.
It’s not just the money, or social issues that annoy me, it’s the core relationship stuff more than anything.
I have a hard time wrapping my head around why there is so much fuss over this particular day and the things it represents:
Why can’t any random day be special? What’s wrong with March 17? Or August 8th? Or better yet…
Why is it a once a year thing for so many people? Having a special date night each month or even each week set aside is too much hassle perhaps?
You can’t tell someone you love them every day and have it mean as much or more?
Proposing or getting married on February 14th isn’t even romantic. It’s lame, predictable and overdone.
Don’t you want your partner to know that they’re special and loved all the time?
Wouldn’t you want to know that you are occupying someone else’s thoughts at random times, not just a day when t’s forced upon them?
Seriously, since when is actually caring for someone with all of your heart not enough? No, now it’s like we’re being told that if you don’t go out and buy fancy jewelry or even a car that you really don’t care as much as you could f you did those things.
While I’m a big fan of doing things “just because”, wouldn’t this grand gesture day be better suited happening on a day that actually means something like the day you first met, or commemorating the first date rather than a day that really has no meaning and when everyone else is doing something similar?
I’m not against romance, quite the opposite in fact. I’m for genuine romance. The kind that is spontaneous. The kind that comes from the heart, not from marketers. The kind of genuine romance that leaves someone at a loss for words. Not this commercialized, manufactured, nonsensical crap.
About Eric J. Nisall
