valentine's day - a farce

[Anil]

commentary: don't be my valentine

kind of sums up my own opinion on the true nature of this so-called celebration of love...

[Top_Cat]

A syndicated columnist railing about the commerciality of Valentine's Day. How original (and ironic on that news site).

[Uppercut]

Originally Posted by Top_Cat

A syndicated columnist railing about the commerciality of Valentine's Day. How original (and ironic on that news site).

He's right though. I had a ****ing awesome Valentine's day, but despite hearing it all before there's nothing he says that I don't agree with.

[Anil]

Originally Posted by Top_Cat

A syndicated columnist railing about the commerciality of Valentine's Day. How original (and ironic on that news site).

what do you mean? do you mean to say that syndicated columns are a farce just like valentine's day? in any case, he is spot on on the subject and that's all i looked for....

[Top_Cat]

Originally Posted by Anil

what do you mean? do you mean to say that syndicated columns are a farce just like valentine's day? in any case, he is on the spot on the subject and that's all i looked for....

I just find it really funny for the same person to simultaneously be syndicated (by definition a marketing tactic to increase exposure and money made for the columnist and interested parties as well as any advertisers who want to piggy-back on the exposure) and write popularist pap which is repeated every year and then complain that Valentine's Day is too over-exposed and is too commercial! He's fine with commercialism when it's his writing or exposure for the books he's written but when others capitalise like with Valentine's, it's predatory? Can't have it both ways.

Not to mention, his assertion that essentially Valentine's Day began with American commercialisation and Esther Howard is pretty silly and his entire column is predicated on this somewhat Americo-centric assumption. Opinion about it's roots are far from settled but most trace back centuries. The stories about St Valentine himself are far from shallow and commercial too and neither is the choice of Feb 14th. It just has significance which has been overshadowed by the commercial washout. But just because the original meaning has been lost in the popular consciousness doesn't mean it's gone.

Not that I give a crap as I don't get into the Valentine's Day thing myself but columns like this are just as throwaway and cliched as the cards people buy. Just saying, the column is far from an insightful piece of journalism. You see the same thing at Christmas about how the father Christmas image was made up by Coke, etc. Wow. So?

EDIT: It's also somewhat puzzling that he gives Christmas a free pass because it's roots are religious (I don't think it's just because he's a highly religious man but because it's roots are far more apparent) but because he's ignorant of the roots of Valentine's Day, he writes a coumn about it. Of course, no commercialisation, mass marketing or pressure going on there........ Valentine's Day isn't even a holiday anyway. It costs no-one anything who doesn't want to spend and doesn't cost businesses any money due to paid days off. So what's his problem?

[Redbacks]

To me:

The effect - companies benefiting from consumers purchasing goods which are wants rather than needs (might not work as a reason with the GF)
The cause - Valentines day (in this case)

If valentines day were to be abandoned the effect would simply find creation through a different cause IMO.

[Matt79]

Love Day from the Simpsons ftw

[silentstriker]

I wonder what the Shiv Sena is up to this year?

[Langeveldt]

Had a fantastic Valentines day, spent it watching rugby and eating a 400 gram steak with a female friend from Holland who I won't see for another year.. To me that sounds ideal

[G.I.Joe]

Spent it at a LAN party with 3 buddies Must have consumed a years quota of cheese with all the pizzas we had.

[Xuhaib]

Watched Wrestling videos the whole evening with a bunch of friends.

[Nnanden]

Girlfriend and I saw 'Marley and Me' which was surprisingly good, then had ice-creams and fell asleep watching TV1.

[Jamee999]

[Anil]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

I wonder what the Shiv Sena is up to this year?

not sure about shiv sena but the ram sena was quite active for valentine's day..hindu extremists say they will attack indian couples marking valentine's Day, because it encourages sexual misdemeanours

check out the funny cartoon: ram sena says that all valentine days couples would be forced to get married if they express their love at public places.

[Anil]

Originally Posted by Top_Cat

I just find it really funny for the same person to simultaneously be syndicated (by definition a marketing tactic to increase exposure and money made for the columnist and interested parties as well as any advertisers who want to piggy-back on the exposure) and write popularist pap which is repeated every year and then complain that Valentine's Day is too over-exposed and is too commercial! He's fine with commercialism when it's his writing or exposure for the books he's written but when others capitalise like with Valentine's, it's predatory? Can't have it both ways.

Not to mention, his assertion that essentially Valentine's Day began with American commercialisation and Esther Howard is pretty silly and his entire column is predicated on this somewhat Americo-centric assumption. Opinion about it's roots are far from settled but most trace back centuries. The stories about St Valentine himself are far from shallow and commercial too and neither is the choice of Feb 14th. It just has significance which has been overshadowed by the commercial washout. But just because the original meaning has been lost in the popular consciousness doesn't mean it's gone.

Not that I give a crap as I don't get into the Valentine's Day thing myself but columns like this are just as throwaway and cliched as the cards people buy. Just saying, the column is far from an insightful piece of journalism. You see the same thing at Christmas about how the father Christmas image was made up by Coke, etc. Wow. So?

EDIT: It's also somewhat puzzling that he gives Christmas a free pass because it's roots are religious (I don't think it's just because he's a highly religious man but because it's roots are far more apparent) but because he's ignorant of the roots of Valentine's Day, he writes a coumn about it. Of course, no commercialisation, mass marketing or pressure going on there........ Valentine's Day isn't even a holiday anyway. It costs no-one anything who doesn't want to spend and doesn't cost businesses any money due to paid days off. So what's his problem?

just because a syndicated columnist is saying it doesn't make it less true though...and that's all i am saying...you sound so pissed off at the guy, i feel you might just "celebrate" the next valentine's day just to spite him and the likes of him...