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Relationships

February 14, 2005

Roses are Red, Singles are blue
   by Shannowl <shannowl@hotmail.com>

"Valentine's day is a waste of money and cardboard anyway" I say to myself, stalking away from the pile of bills and other miselanious advertising that arrived with the post this morning. "Even so, it would have been nice if Doug had remembered."

Welcome to Valentines Day 2005. Another cardless day in a long history of cardless days. Hopping online I hear a similar story over and over. No cards. No flowers. No grand stories of romance and passion. Do you ever wonder why we celebrate this holiday that divides people straight down the middle in to "wanted" and "unwanted" categories?

According to the history books, St. Valentines Day dates back to Roman times, when St. Valentine was martyred for his Christian faith, and yet the first valentine wasn't sent until the 1800's. So far as I can gather, the history of this day seems very unclear, although this doesn't appear to matter to the cogs in the machine behind valentines. As with Christmas, Easter and increasingly Halloween, a walk around your local shopping centre assaults you with a nauseating hysteria of valentine promotions.

Maybe this is why we feel so desperate to feel included in this holiday. It seems the whole world is indulging in luxury chocolates and lingering kisses from their one true love. Surely one only needs to look at the divorce statistics for the western world to conclude that love isn't everything valentines day makes it out to be.

Anyway, would I want to be in a relationship where the only romantic acts were committed once a year to make the single people squirm? Surely the essence of romance is spontaneous? But then, what would a cardless individual like me know?

And why do we celebrate? A trip to Clintons Cards starkly revealed the answer to me. A section of the card shop, small but significant, had been sectioned off for "Mum", "Dad" and worse "Granddad and Grandma". It dawned on me, not for the first time, how companies control social pressure and spending habits. I only pray that the day is not coming when parents sit on February the 14th, cardless, and feel they're unloved by their family. Just remember, if you haven't been swept off your feet by your valentine, you're not unwanted, and you're definitely not alone.

Shan

Published: February 14, 2005
Editor: stacy

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