My blogroll is populated with Scrooges who are publishing endless (and endlessly boring) posts about why Valentine’s Day is bad and should not be celebrated.
I think this is simply stupid. I love this holiday. I love all holidays and even remotely festive occasions. I celebrated Valentine’s Day when I was single just as well as I celebrate it when I’m not. Who cares what other people make it about, what the marketing companies want it to be about, what it was like 100 years ago, or anything of the kind? A holiday is what one makes of it.
I especially detest those passive-aggressive losers who are too chicken to tell their partner, “I don’t like you and don’t find you valuable” and who instead say, “I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day on ideological grounds, so don’t expect a gift.”
And the idiots who say crap like, “We love each other every day, so what’s the need to have a special day to celebrate it?” should first apply this line of reasoning to their own Birthdays. I mean, if you are alive every day, then what’s the point of celebrating your life once a year? If we follow this inane logic, there is no reason to celebrate anything ever.
Graduation? Well, shouldn’t the process of acquiring knowledge be more important than the day you get an empty diploma cover?
New Year’s? Why should an arbitrary number be celebrated as if it meant anything special?
Wedding anniversary? Marriage is hard work, so why celebrate the day when you accepted yet another job that will not even be remunerated?
Christmas? That’s all commercial anyways, and besides, Jesus wasn’t even born on that day. He was never born at all, and that is a great reason to deny oneself a chance to have a good time. Let’s punish Jesus for never getting born and have a crappy time instead of enjoying ourselves!
Happy Valentine’s Day, folks! Let’s celebrate the people and the things we love today. If there is nothing else to celebrate, I suggest we celebrate our love for this blog. 🙂
P.S. We will be celebrating Valentine’s Day by going to the theater to see Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility and then to a Peruvian restaurant. That will happen on Saturday because N. has an important presentation tomorrow, so he’s preparing. I will tell you all about the play and the food, of course.
Clarissa's Blog 
Valentine’s day (like mothers day and fathers day) is something that wasn’t part of my culture, growing up in India so I have no particular attachment to it. Does that make me a scrooge?
I promise not to call you one if you fail to celebrate Diwali or Kwanzaa.
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I don’t celebrate Christmas because it isn’t part of my culture. But I also don’t write yearly posts about how much Christmas sucks and how everybody who does celebrate it is a loser in thrall to crass commercialism.
“I promise not to call you one if you fail to celebrate Diwali or Kwanzaa.”
– If I write one of those idiotic posts about how “Kwanzaa is a holiday invented by stupid Liberals” please do call me that and worse.
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Ah, got it. Your post was directed only at people who rant against these holidays. rather than people who just don’t celebrate it. I read your post incorrectly, then.
Yeah, I agree, people who complain about any type of celebrations are weird.
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At the latest count, there have been 14 anti-Valentine posts in my blogroll.
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Valentine day is a capitalist holiday for woman-hating (men buying women with chocolate and flowers on this day to dominate them 364/365 days) monogamous couples. Have a good day.
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“men buying women with chocolate and flowers on this day to dominate them 364/365 days”
– Tell me, my friend, how many women have you been able to buy with flowers and chocolate? An actual number will suffice.
🙂 🙂 🙂
And I will not even ask what it is women who buy men flowers and chocolate are buying.
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“Tell me, my friend, how many women have you been able to buy with flowers and chocolate? An actual number will suffice.”
I don’t know because I’m not that kind of aggressive loser dude. I would never try this.
“And I will not even ask what it is women who buy men flowers and chocolate are buying.”
What are you talking about?
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“I don’t know because I’m not that kind of aggressive loser dude. I would never try this.”
– So this idea that women can be bought with flowers is something you choose to believe with absolutely no basis in reality? And then you accuse otehrs of disrespecting women? Seriously? Do you have any idea how offensive to women your statement is?
“And I will not even ask what it is women who buy men flowers and chocolate are buying.”
What are you talking about?”
– That’s what I always give my husband for Valentine’s Day because he loves both. He never gives me chocolate because I don’t like it. He gives me fruit and potted plants. So I would like to know what it is I’m buying, according to your theory, when I give him flowers and chocolate.
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– That’s what I always give my husband for Valentine’s Day because he loves both. He never gives me chocolate because I don’t like it.(Clarissa)
Good relationship, you know each others love language. My wife loves receiving gifts, I on the other hand love receiving. 😉
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“I especially detest those passive-aggressive losers who are too chicken to tell their partner, “I don’t like you and don’t find you valuable””
Huuuumm, so the 99% of women who do not send any gift to their man partner on Valentine Day are passive-agressive losers??? In reality, it’s men who buying women with chocolate and flowers on this day to dominate them 364/365 days that are the agressive losers!
That funfem analysis is so confused…
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“Huuuumm, so the 99% of women who do not send any gift to their man partner on Valentine Day are passive-agressive losers???”
– Where are you meeting all these horrible women?? I have never met a single one who doesn’t give a gift to a partner.
“In reality, it’s men who buying women with chocolate and flowers on this day to dominate them 364/365 days that are the agressive losers!”
– I knew you would not be able to answer my question. But I will repeat it:
Tell me, my friend, how many women have you been able to buy with flowers and chocolate? An actual number will suffice.
And I will not even ask what it is women who buy men flowers and chocolate are buying.
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“Where are you meeting all these horrible women?? I have never met a single one who doesn’t give a gift to a partner. ”
I met those horrible MEN on almost all (except yours and one other) monogamous couples that I know.
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“I met those horrible MEN on almost all (except yours and one other) monogamous couples that I know.”
– Your circle of acquaintance reflects your needs. It has nothing to do with what society is like.
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In fact, that’s why I have some respect for only 5 men in my life.
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“That’s what I always give my husband for Valentine’s Day because he loves both. He never gives me chocolate because I don’t like it. He gives me fruit and potted plants. So I would like to know what it is I’m buying, according to your theory, when I give him flowers and chocolate.”
Nothing, because this is an egalitarian exchange. I all Valentines Day would be like, I would not talk about it today. But this is almost never the case.
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” But this is almost never the case.”
– I suggest finding some normal friends. 🙂 🙂 Seriously, I have never even heard of a couple where only one person gives a gift on Valentine’s.
Can anybody help? Americans? Canadians? Do you know such couples?
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My normal friends are all single.
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Tell me better whether it is true that Pauline Marois has now gone back on her promises and is raising tuition? Is it true that the students are back protesting??
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“That’s what I always give my husband for Valentine’s Day because he loves both. He never gives me chocolate because I don’t like it. He gives me fruit and potted plants. So I would like to know what it is I’m buying, according to your theory, when I give him flowers and chocolate.”
Nothing, because this is an egalitarian exchange. If all Valentines Day would be like that, I would not talk about it today. But this is almost never the case.
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I’m taking two of my daughters tonight to a steak house for the special Valentine’s Day dinner that they offer because one of them doesn’t have a boyfriend and the other broke up with her boyfriend last month. The deal is I pay and they drive so I don’t have to worry about the police road checks.
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Sounds like a great celebration!
The best Valentine’s I ever had was celebrating with 6 of my female friends. We all ended up single on Valentine’s and had crazy fun together swapping stories about our failed relationships and sharing drinks.
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I’m going to show my love for my DB by cooking him a cheese fondue. This is a high speed highway to his heart. He is bringing the wine. This is a direct route to mine. 🙂
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What a beautiful relationship!
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My mother gets my dad wine, and he gets her chocolate, both of which they proceed to share over their steak dinner.
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“Tell me better whether it is true that Pauline Marois has now gone back on her promises and is raising tuition?
No, she has always said that the indexation (but not the Charest’s shylockean hike) is the sole option.
“Is it true that the students are back protesting??”
Yes, a little. But right now, this is no way near the amplitude of the last time.
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So will there be an increase? And what will it be?
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Yes, annual inflation. The PCul always said that.
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Ah, OK, that makes sense. Thank you for explaining!
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2 funny, happy posts for V-day:
In Russian:
http://b-a-n-s-h-e-e.livejournal.com/890366.html#comments
In English:
LOVE ACCORDING TO 4-8 YEAR OLDS!
http://iranscope.ghandchi.com/Fun/love.htm
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“So this idea that women can be bought with flowers is something you choose to believe with absolutely no basis in reality? And then you accuse otehrs of disrespecting women? Seriously? Do you have any idea how offensive to women your statement is? ”
I said that men try to buy women with flowers and chocolate with the aim to dominate them 364/365 days.
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“I said that men try to buy women with flowers and chocolate with the aim to dominate them 364/365 days.”
– How come I never met such men in the course of a very long and eventful personal life? Yet you, who have zero experience with having romantic relationships with men, keep seeing them all over the place? Is it because you need this fantasy for some reason?
If you don’t know any normal couples, that is your problem and your problem only. Good luck ever getting a personal life with this messed-up worldview.
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Ask divorced women…
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I’m a divorced woman. Asked myself. The response was, “Huh???” 🙂 🙂
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And I know some normal couples, but…
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I am single, but I love Valentine’s Day! I love chocolate, and I love discounted chocolate on February 15th. I love seeing all the cute couples together today, queer and hetero, and I love giving red velvet cookies I baked last night to my favourite friends.
My only real beef is that all the restaurants are full, which means I can’t eat out tonight.
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That’s a great, happy approach! I’m convinced that if one can’t enjoy being single, one will not be able to enjoy being with somebody.
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I read such a post, and one thing I may agree with is that forced participation at schools in V-day is not altogether good. Look:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/brutereason/2013/02/14/i-really-strongly-dislike-valentines-day/#comments
Do you think having those celebrations at schools is right? Jews have their own day of love, but it wasn’t celebrated at school in any way. We did exchange presents at Purim in our class though, but it doesn’t have any romantic connotations.
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“these lavish observances encourage them to think of themselves in terms of their ability to find a romantic partner. If you think being single on VDay as an adult sucks, imagine (or remember) how it would feel in high school.”
– This is what socialization is like. I do not believe in sheltering kids from such innocent aspects of reality. Yes, for many this will suck. And that’s what life will often be like.
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I’m much more in favour of surprise gifts given at other times of the year (by both partners) than of the societal “obligation” to give presents on Valentines Day. To me, this demonstrates more thoughtfulness and valuing of the partner. I would rather be surprised by yellow roses in April than expect red roses in February. But I have no problems with what other couples decide to do, and your plans for the weekend sound very enjoyable – I hope you have a lovely time!
But, surely, these scrooges writing their blogposts should be free to write whatever they want on their own blogs? That is what you often say about your own blog after all 🙂
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“But, surely, these scrooges writing their blogposts should be free to write whatever they want on their own blogs? ”
– Which is why I did not propose any legislation to prevent them from writing these posts, did I? 🙂 🙂
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