Simply Felicious

To the one or so person who reads Simply Felicious - I have moved.

If so inclined, please come find me here at Wordpress.
It’s been a pleasure, let’s keep it going.

=)

Listening to: Satisfaction - Cat Power

February 14.

Supposed to be a special day for people in love. Seeing this as an opportunity, the marketing industry have snapped it up as an idea to bill people for it. The history of Valentine’s Day is diverse and much of it is rumour but the common conception is that it’s based on St. Valentine, a Catholic bishop who used to help the young soldiers in Emperor Claudius’ army to marry. The emperor banned his soldiers from getting married to ensure that while they served in his army, their only focus was their undivided devotion to Rome.

Valentine helped these young men marry in secret and when the emperor discovered it, he sentenced him to be beheaded. It was believed that he sent his jailer’s blind daughter a love letter before his death and signed it ‘Your Valentine’. The church made him the new patron saint of love in order to dispel some wide and varied pagan customs that used to be practiced in mid February.

That’s how it started off anyway. And then some woman in 1874 mass produces the first lace valentine and now, about a million cards are sent on this day, funnily enough, 85% of them from women! Like so many other celebrations, this one has also been twisted by money minded marketing corporations to spell Commercialism. More often than not it just sucks you dry and makes those who don’t have a significant other feel like square pegs in a round hole.

I’m all for love - don’t get me wrong. But I hate to buy into something that is so commercialised. Why celebrate love specially on one day when it can be celebrated everyday? Why give people the right to make money off of it? You just have to see how many money mongers hike up the price of roses on V-Day alone to understand what I mean.

I would hate it if my boyfriend bought me some ridiculously expensive thing on Valentine’s Day but treated me like a non-person every other day of the year (which he doesn’t by the way). I hate the fact that watching their other friends receive valentines from their admirers could make some beautiful young girl feel unloved and unwanted when nothing could be further from the truth. I hate the fact that having no one to send valentines to could embarrass a young man.

I am not anti-Valentine’s Day. I am not a feminist. I am however anti-Valentine-commercialism. I hate that people make such a big thing out of it when it’s supposed to be a big deal everyday. And I despise the fact that people make money out of it.

I also have to be honest when I say that I despise the fact that I would, sadly, feel like the biggest loser in the world if I had nobody to send me valentines. That is how much this celebration can affect people’s perceptions. And their wallets.

This has to stop.

Maybe I’m just PMS-ing. Or just feeling depressed, but do tell me if I’m wrong. I need a shower.