Spring Break
Love it or love it not: It's a Hallmark holiday
Joshua Aromin
Issue date: 2/13/09 Section: Entertainment
02/13/09 - I love it. I love it not. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, which means most wallets will be emptied as we embrace a little random naked kid that shoots arrows of "love." And certainly, I love it not.
While other holidays may focus on a morbidly obese man in a red suit or a gigantic bunny and plastic eggs, they have other legitimate reasons for being a holiday. Valentine's Day has nothing but commercial attachment to it.
It's a holiday primarily based on buying things like chocolate, jewelry or flowers, and it serves no other real purpose.
Not only must we have the concept of love shoved into our face during movies, songs and TV specials, but there also has to be a specific holiday just for that.
It's that time of the year where TVs and radios alike air commercials about teddy bears from Vermont and a guy that "went to Jared." Not to mention, it's a great time to be Russell Stover's, Whitman's and Hallmark.
Aside from buying stuff, what does Valentine's Day really mean? Is it the perfect time to pop that oh-so-important question or is it time for seduction and intimacy?
Sometimes with these precious moments of life- Valentine's Day or not- disaster can strike. If you're Alfalfa from "The Little Rascals," your friends might sabotage your romantic afternoon date. If you're Austin Powers, your woman might just turn out to be an evil fembot, which could be a good if you're into that kind of thing.
Naturally, the chance for catastrophe is exacerbated on Valentine's Day, making it a holiday that can lead to even worse things.
In the grand scheme of things, Valentine's Day is just one day out of 365 meant to boost retail sales masked with the façade of love.
It's the day where ordinary products are colored in with shades of red and pink and marketed like it's something special.
In grade school, Valentine's Day was based on handing out candy and getting character-themed cards. This also had potential to lead to embarrassment, as shown in an episode of "The Simpsons" where Lisa gives a pity card to the awkward kid in class, Ralph Wiggum.
To be perfectly clear, Valentine's Day can be looked at in different ways. Obviously, it's a day built for couples, but for singles, it doesn't have to be all that bad.
For single folk, it can be a day to overload on candy, cherish the single life and treat Valentine's like any other day. For me, I'll be at work. So for Valentine's Day, I love it not.
While other holidays may focus on a morbidly obese man in a red suit or a gigantic bunny and plastic eggs, they have other legitimate reasons for being a holiday. Valentine's Day has nothing but commercial attachment to it.
It's a holiday primarily based on buying things like chocolate, jewelry or flowers, and it serves no other real purpose.
Not only must we have the concept of love shoved into our face during movies, songs and TV specials, but there also has to be a specific holiday just for that.
It's that time of the year where TVs and radios alike air commercials about teddy bears from Vermont and a guy that "went to Jared." Not to mention, it's a great time to be Russell Stover's, Whitman's and Hallmark.
Aside from buying stuff, what does Valentine's Day really mean? Is it the perfect time to pop that oh-so-important question or is it time for seduction and intimacy?
Sometimes with these precious moments of life- Valentine's Day or not- disaster can strike. If you're Alfalfa from "The Little Rascals," your friends might sabotage your romantic afternoon date. If you're Austin Powers, your woman might just turn out to be an evil fembot, which could be a good if you're into that kind of thing.
Naturally, the chance for catastrophe is exacerbated on Valentine's Day, making it a holiday that can lead to even worse things.
In the grand scheme of things, Valentine's Day is just one day out of 365 meant to boost retail sales masked with the façade of love.
It's the day where ordinary products are colored in with shades of red and pink and marketed like it's something special.
In grade school, Valentine's Day was based on handing out candy and getting character-themed cards. This also had potential to lead to embarrassment, as shown in an episode of "The Simpsons" where Lisa gives a pity card to the awkward kid in class, Ralph Wiggum.
To be perfectly clear, Valentine's Day can be looked at in different ways. Obviously, it's a day built for couples, but for singles, it doesn't have to be all that bad.
For single folk, it can be a day to overload on candy, cherish the single life and treat Valentine's like any other day. For me, I'll be at work. So for Valentine's Day, I love it not.
