Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
That day of impending doom, which is seemingly responsible for more couples calling it quits than any other worldly event, is just around the corner. Of course, I am talking about the dreaded Valentine’s Day. It’s that extra-special day of the year when couples have nervous breakdowns and huge fights over who was supposed to make the reservations and I am thrilled to live in a society that has no problem adding pressure to the already “overworried,” “overhormoned” and the downright overwhelmed relationships today’s youth face, just to make a couple of bucks.
So what was the point of this illustrious holiday? Valentine’s Day grew in popularity during the High Middle Ages, which just goes to show that even a society that doesn’t understand the complex concept of washing themselves would set aside time for romance.
Though it wouldn’t grow into a commercialist tradition for years, many believe that the day itself grew from a period between mid-January and mid-February, which was the month of Gamelion, dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera. This was a much simpler time when all the men didn’t work extra-hard, but they probably let an idea come from their hearts. They would wine and dine, romance and serenade that special young boy they loved.
Whoever you’re interested in wining and dining – and it’s a safe bet not to do as the Greeks did unless you want to get arrested – one can look at simple concepts of romance and courtship and what they actually mean to a society. Feb. 14 is a day like any other and outlining a day in which someone has to be romantic seems to damage the very essence of what romance stands for. It’s companies like NECCO that pervert this day by pawning off terrible-tasting candy hearts. For 2007, NECCO has released new sayings such as, “URA Tiger” and “Go Fish,” which are exactly the type of lines you would expect to find in a bar or kinky sex joint. We shouldn’t be looking to little pieces of candy or generic cards to tell someone how we feel, so why do we let this tradition dictate our day?
Many people seem to have a problem with Valentine’s Day because of its cheesiness. Others are disgruntled because they were scorned on the one day of the year in which romance was magically supposed to mean something extra special. If this is how you feel, don’t let this day make you hide in shame or feel guilty because the good people at http://www.poisonpen.com are here to help you! This site, which advertises the motto, “When you care enough to send the very worst,” will submit an anonymous poison pen card or letter to a former lover.
If you can’t find love on Feb. 14, why not find some revenge? It’s estimated by the National Retail Federation that people spend upwards of $13.7 billion a year on Valentine’s Day gifts, so it’s only fair to even the consumer playing field and let those who were rejected send a card with a middle finger to that ex-special someone. If a card doesn’t say exactly what you want, why not go over to http://www.deadroses.com and send dead roses, or even http://www.thepayback.com, which offers to send smelly dead fish to that lover who made you so jilted.
Yahoo! Personals, which have named the period between the December holidays and Valentine’s Day as national break-up season, surveyed 2,583 of its users, and found out couples were more than twice as likely to think about separating during this period than at any other time of the year.
Valentine’s Day is just a day, and it is up to you to make what you want out of it. There are plenty of fun things to do, so before you decide to make a big deal of it, ask yourself: Is hurting a relationship or an ex-lover really what you want to spend your day doing?
Justin Chase is a second-year psychology major.
