Anti-Corporate Holidays
by: Alex Hastings
Some of the holidays we commonly celebrate are protested by many because they believe those holidays to be excuses for the big corporations to make money. One popular holiday that many love to bash is Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day is just a corporate holiday designed to make us spend money, it's a greeting card company conspiracy to make more profits. It just makes those who don't have a significant other feel bad about themselves. All these arguments have been voiced at one time or another.
Here are just some interesting facts about Valentine's Day to give a few reasons why some people seem to hate the holiday so much. 188 million greeting cards are exchanged each year for Valentine's Day, making it the second most popular card giving holiday. Valentine's Day is also a procrastinator's dream; over 50% of greeting cards are bought just a few days before February 14 rolls around. This holiday doesn't just help greeting card companies however, florists prosper as well. An estimated 214 million roses were purchased for Valentine's Day in 2007. In short, Valentine's is a business's dream. They can make lots and lots of money in this season.
Many maintain that Valentine's Day just makes singles feel bad about themselves. It projects the idea that they should be in a relationship and there is something wrong if they aren't. Another reason many people don't like Valentine's Day is because many who celebrate the day do not even know who St. Valentine was. He could have been one of three people, all of them martyrs. One was a priest in Rome, the other a bishop in Interamna (a section of Italy), and the third is known to have been martyred in Africa with his companions, but nothing else.
Many believe that Valentine's cheapens love. They believe that one should show love for his or her significant other every day of the year, not on one specific day.
Signature School freshman English teacher Erin Atkinson doesn't believe that Valentine's Day cheapens love, but that it "makes it an obligation and it shouldn't be an obligation to tell the person you love. You should do it because you care about that person and you should do it everyday."
Mrs. Atkinson also believes that the best gift you can give is time.
"The best way to show you care is to make time," she says.
So as Valentine's Day approaches, think about why you are celebrating with your significant other, and keep in mind that perhaps you should simply spend time and maybe just exchange small gifts, if you feel the need to acknowledge the day.