Once upon a time there lived a guy named Saint Valentine who ruined the month of February for all single girls around the world. The girls collectively bought chocolates and wine to cry over during their Ryan Gosling movie marathon.
The sad part is the fact that for many single ladies, that isn’t very far off, and you can thank corporate America for that.
We know that Valentine’s Day can be traced back to ancient Rome, but the historical and factual based origins of the holiday are unclear. America is only one of many countries that has commercialized Valentine’s Day, completely stripping the legal holiday of any of the values which it was originally established to honor. At our age, the holiday seems more like a pity party for the single girls than it does a celebration of love.
“I personally think it’s pathetic that girls use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to have a pity party,” said junior applied psychology major Angie Ochere. “They should hang out as friends, as single girls who appreciate each other.”
Many others like Angie agree that Valentine’s Day has been spun out of control. What if Valentine’s Day is a conspiracy theory? Maybe it was created by Hallmark as another opportunity to rake in the coinage in between Christmas and, well, next year’s Christmas. While the aforementioned is a stretch, it definitely seems plausible given the way many people manipulate the day of love.
“It is just another excuse to spend money,” said sophomore criminal justice and psychology major Mike Lotocky. “It’s a stupid holiday.”
It’s easy to see why some would become queasy at the thought of Valentine’s Day being anywhere close to romantic with the cheesy cards that sell like hot cakes, entire isles in supermarkets that are designated solely for chocolate and pink stuffed animals that people deem adorable. However, others view the over-the-top décor as a means of getting in the spirit of the holiday.
“I love all holidays… any excuse to drink, overeat and have sex is a great thing in my book,” said junior communications major Cristina Theriault. “It’s nice to get in the spirit. Some people are just downers and really negative about the holiday. I still like the idea of Valentine’s Day as much when I’m single as I do in a relationship.”
Remember in elementary school when the teacher had you cut out construction paper hearts and hang them around the classroom? And then you swapped pez candies and homemade goodies with your classmates? It felt nice to be in the spirit of something, it was just an all-around fun thing to do.
“Valentine’s Day should be about appreciating who we have in our lives, the people we love,” said Ochere. “As for intimate relationships, we should recognize our significant others every day.”
Valentine’s Day is one of the few holidays celebrated internationally that does not require people to abide by religious beliefs in order to take part. It is a way to revive the cold-hearted business men of the world and it gives the elementary school teachers a reason to hand out chocolate. Valentine’s Day offers a rare opportunity to buy expensive flowers in the dead of winter and maybe even admit true love to your crush; to make sure that everyone in the world has a reason to be happy.
Even if you still hold conflicted feelings towards Feb. 14, which may as well be just another day on the calendar for you, fall in love with something that makes you smile, even if it’s just for one day.