I’m always intrigued by the huge amount of anger poured out by (some) single people on this holiday. Far, far more then, say, Jewish people (or any non-christian, for that matter) on Christmas. In fact, most don’t really care. But on valentine’s day, a large number of single people get really, really angry. Why is this? Yes, it’s a manufactured holiday, but as @nicobanks says, what isn’t? Any holiday, at least to me, doesn’t matter for it’s origins, but for what you do with it. Valentine’s day to me is simply a reason to spend a relaxing and romantic weekend. My girlfriend and I watched a nice movie and had a very nice dinner and just had a very good weekend. Nothing big, no diamonds or chocolates or silly hallmark cards, just a nice weekend. Why is this such a cause of anger? Just because there’s lots of lovey stuff around, is it really something to get so angry about? Yes, you don’t have someone and I do, boo hoo. I’m sorry, but I won’t hide away and not be happy because you’re not.
And everyone saying “But i always love my girl/man”, you’re being a little silly. Yes, if you’re in a good relationship this should not matter. But for most of us, we get caught up in work or school (or both, for me, silly grad school), or don’t always have the money for random gifts, or for whatever reason don’t always show our romantic sides. Why not simply take this random holiday as a nice excuse to be romantic/show a little more love then usual? Shouldn’t you take every excuse, even if it is a little silly?
Anyway, what it means to me is just a nice little excuse to spend a little money and be a little more romantic then usual. If that angers anyone, or makes people sad that I’m not always this romantic, then * shrug * I’m sorry, but it works well for me. And at the very least, I don’t mind giving money to companies I like, such as for the excellent dinner I had tonight. Why should I care about when I give them money? But, now I’m going back into it, I’ll stop now, and finish out my day with a nice movie with my girlfriend. And for those of you who are sad or angry today, I hope some day you can share a similar happiness with someone. Then, maybe, you can stop being so angry, and realize why this holiday isn’t quite so bad.
@Rufus_T_Firefly I have to disagree with you about DeBeers. You should read this article if you think that valentine’s day would make them proud. Debeers’ people were absolute masters, and have done far more impressive (if cretinous) things then make a silly holiday.