The Infamous V-Day

With Valentine's Day swiftly approaching I find myself eager to share my opinion on the upcoming event: it's a complete and total crock. I promise I am not bitter and I am not even dateless. I just have this neurotic aversion to phony holidays and false pretenses for expressing love.
The most common legends surrounding Valentine's Day involve various Saints named Valentine. The following is an excerpt from "The History of Valentine's Day" taken from www.history.com:

"One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France."

While the original intent of this holiday may be to honor the romantic Saints for standing up to harsh and unfair Roman laws, we as a society have allowed February 14 to morph into a heart-shaped monster. Men and women all over the world are expected to send greeting cards, flowers, candies and plan out a perfect date for the occasion. The bad part is that companies raise their prices specifically for Valentine's Day, knowing that people will be crazy enough to buy their products anyway. The worst part is that people do buy the goods anyway, knowing they are being ripped off.
What I would like to know is how we let ourselves become so obsessed with this day and the notion that one must show affection for his or her partner, lest one be shunned for not making the effort. Can we really call this a day to celebrate love and honest emotion if the sole reason one goes to such trouble is to follow this unwritten rule? I would prefer flowers or a box of chocolates on March 30, June 8 or even August 21. Others may not share my opinion, but I am not looking for a partner who will only think to send me sweet notes and flowers on the one day that the human race is duped into thinking it is what they should do.
Moreover I find the hypocrisy surrounding Valentine's Day to be especially amusing. I have lost count of the number of my female friends who have said to me over the years, "I hate Valentine's Day! It's so silly and I don't expect a thing from my boyfriend!" and then a week later I have to hear about what a tool he is for completely ignoring the event. Newsflash, females: if you tell a male to disregard something he is going to take it at face value. A good general rule I have learned from previous experiences and from watching others is that guys do not read into and obsess over details like girls tend to do. If you expect chocolates and a fancy dinner, you should tell him. Life is not scripted like movies and fairy tales and no guy or girl is ever going to be able to read your mind to know exactly what you want all of the time.
So as the rest of my friends are anxiously awaiting overpriced bouquets and sending "heartgrams" I will be out with a cute guy eating sushi, and I guarantee it will be to satisfy my desire for sushi and good conversation rather than an obligation to show him my feelings.