Opinion
Pointless Valentine's Day shouldn't exist
February 11, 2015
Everyone is abuzz this week with holiday fever, and the end of this week is Valentine’s Day, or in my opinion, the day to stay home and hide from the world.
While couples and antsy elementary school students around the country eagerly await a romantic date or the exchanging cute cards with their class, the singles are waiting for Feb. 15 to roll around so they can buy their discounted chocolate. The actual holiday, in my opinion, is pretty pointless. Now, a lot of people may argue with this simple opinion, but can you really blame me?
First of all, Valentine’s Day is a shameless method for card, flower, and fancy chocolate companies to rack up some dough. Everyone has a birthday, and others celebrate anniversaries and graduations. There is no need to put aside a special day to buy two attached pieces of paper that will probably be lost in the closet by the next week anyway. And who needs a bouquet of flowers? Giving your friend or significant other flowers on Valentine’s Day is a little like that parent at PetSmart two days before Christmas buying their kid a hamster. They don’t know how to take care of it, and it will be dead in two weeks anyway.
In addition, why pick one individual day on the calendar to tell others, partner or otherwise, that you love them? Why can’t people just do that every day? Is it some subtle hint that we should blatantly ignore and run away from everyone on the other 364 days of the year? And if that’s what you do anyway, like me, why can’t you do it on Valentine’s Day too? If you do love a friend, family member, or significant other, telling them you love them should be a meaningful and honest experience. If you are not feeling it on Valentine’s Day, then Hallmark should not force you to lie.
And, of course, the most obvious reason I have great disdain for Valentine’s Day is because I'm single and may or may not be a little bitter that putting aside a day for couples even exists.
I mean, if someone hasn’t aggressively confessed their love for you by now, will they in reality get to that by this Saturday? Don’t hold your breath. I’m prepared for the sappy Facebook posts with pictures of flowers and the captions: “Aww, my boyfriend is so sweet!" or "Look at these flowers he got me!" or "Oh my gosh, I love you so much babe!” and the ever-cliché Valentine’s Day marriage proposals. But, even when I see the loads of sap appearing on my news feed, I think: “Do I really want that?” Who wants a cliché, in-your-face-attention-seeking relationship? Not me. It makes me realize that I may be single now but could someday find something much better.
Valentine’s Day rolls around every year. It's 24 hours of pointless money-seeking, single-shaming garbage. But, it does in fact only last one day. Then suddenly, it’s over and life returns to normal, besides the chocolate discounts. So, if Valentine’s Day’s gets you down like it does me, just remember that it is one day. It will be over when you wake up on Sunday, and you most likely won’t stay single forever. And even if you do, cats are really nice, low-maintenance animals.
Cristin Dempsey is an English major and music minor from Eagan, Minn. She enjoys writing, playing the flute and swimming. After college she would like to pursue a career as an editor.