Happy Valentines Day everyone. Who is today geared more towards?

It is neither – it is an appreciation for love in general. It doesn’t have to be love of a man for his wife, or a girl for her boyfriend, but for anyone that you love. Parents, children, siblings, friends, coworkers—if you love them, say it today!! And share the lurve!!!!

I see it as a day for people to show alittle extra appreciation for their loved one…..and I do :)

Neither, it’s a way to get us consumers to spend more money and for stores to jack up the prices on common Valentine’s Day gifts, especially flowers.

It is mutual day in my house to show love and appreciation all around for the people you love and care about not forgetting the kids either! Mom does seem to get more attention though and she deserves it too!

Frankly, I think it’s a conspiracy to send more business to mental health professionals. The day raises expectations so high that they are rarely fulfilled. The person’s hopes, dashed, they break up their relationship and head to the therapist. Just look at the number of questions about love here.

Children have to give cards to everyone in their class. Mothers have to buy the cards. A few people might actually hand make them. Anyone remember doilies? Then there are the flowers and the chocolates, and it’s all supposed to symbolize love.

My wife told me to buy her flowers on Valentines day, her birthday, our anniversary, and Mothers day. I’m glad to know what to do. Plus I get to choose the colors I like, and she has to act as if they are just what she wanted. Or maybe they really are what she wanted.

Then there are the chocolates. For the wife and kids. I get to spend as much as I want to and my wife can’t say anything because it’s for her. Then again, I don’t get anything. But I don’t care. They’ll share. I hope. :)

Today is what I like to call a Candy Holiday. It is for the giving and receiving of candy. I celebrated by giving my boyfriend a box of strawberry creams, giving my mother a box of delicious hazelnut, chocolate and coconut candies as well as an elaborate cupcake with more frosting than actual cake, and receiving candy from my professors and friends. Even when I am single, I eat candy and exchange it with friends and family. The Candy Holidays are my favorite.

To answer your question, today is more geared to those who love to give and receive candy. It is my favorite of the Candy Holidays.

It’s a commercial bs kind of a holiday. Geared to consumerism.

Yes, Happy Saint Valentine’s Day <—The Historical reference.

Good question—it’s geared towards pressuring people into being in relationships, especially women.

Consider: If you’re a guy and you’re single today, you’re not really a loser; you’re just single. If you’re a girl who’s single today, ten to one you feel considered a lonely loser. It’s days like this that force women in our society into really despicable gender roles.

While I wouldn’t give up my sweetie for anything, I don’t like to admit (even though this is true) that being engaged to a handsome, successful man is a social trophy for me. I don’t like the fact that this society requires that I have such a trophy in order to be counted as successful in my social world. I feel targeted by days like this—targeted for the sake of the women who are negatively characterized because they have resisted the social pressure to be paired off with men.

it’s a day that’s been commercialised way too much and has lost it’s true meaning… saint valentine made a sacrifice today… I think it’s a bit sad we’ve forgotten that, but other than that it’s really sweet and an opportunity for lovers to get together,.

It’s geared more towards women. With that said, I do things for my husband. We do things for our kids and yes, our youngest still gives cards out at school. Today I got my 471th post it from my husband on the bathroom mirror. A simple one, I love you. I’m glad you’re my Valentine.

Yes, I said post-it notes. I have each one he has left me. For the record, he did more than that, but I love my post-it note collection from my husband.

It’s geared slightly more towards men as the consumers and therefore women as the recipients, but @Electra, I know plenty of men who hate the day because it reminds them of their unwanted singledom.

And just because Valentine’s Day has been hijacked by commerce, it doesn’t mean you have to subscribe to the commercialisation in order to celebrate your all-consuming love with another human being, which is such an amazing thing that it deserves a little celebration now and then. Coming in the dark, grey days of winter, it’s a lovely day.

@meiosis: the social significance of a single man is weighted far differently from that of a single woman.

A single man is still evaluated in terms of his career, his education, his interests, his friends of the same sex—that is, he can be considered a “winner” even if he is single.

If a woman is single and she has everything in terms of friends, career and education, she is still a target from misogynistic haters merely because she’s single.

Men and women are not punished equally for being single. While some men may not LIKE being single, they’re not penalized for it the way women are.

@Electra You’re correct, they’re not penalised the way that women are, they’re penalised differently, but single men, especially as they get older, do have societal pressure and negative stereotypes to contend with. To state otherwise, as it appears you are doing, is a touch blinkered.

DISCLAIMER: In no way am I trying to minimise the very real pressures that women in today’s society face

@meiosis: Your inability to read what I actually said does not mean that I didn’t say it—where in my above statement do I say that men AREN’T punished for being single? I simply said that men and women aren’t punished EQUALLY for being single.