Two authors go head to head to decide if Valentine’s day is a slay or nay. Graphic by: Maddie Bataille | Photo Editor
Claudia Stepien:
February is a dreary month, in the middle of awful winter weather with no holidays to get excited about (unless you love President’s Day) and this is where Valentine’s Day comes to save the day. It’s a holiday about love, and I love love.
I think people often hate on it because they think that love should be celebrated 365 days a year, and I agree, but life is hard. Especially as an adult, sometimes you forget or get caught up in work and it’s nice to have an excuse to do something nice. I’ve also heard a lot of people argue that the 15th is the better holiday because of the discounted candy, but that is a direct consequence of V-day. You can’t have one without the other, so you can at least thank Valentine’s Day for that.
I also love the color scheme of the holiday, when the world is full of grays and blues from the cold, pink and red together create a homey, inviting aura that I’m obsessed with. I’m also arguing all of this having never had a Valentine (other than my mom) and I still love the day.
I do sympathize with the argument that it’s just a capitalistic holiday that encourages overspending and consumption, but, capitalism is inevitable. I would rather deal with Valentine’s Day, red and pink, chocolate and flower-filled, capitalism than regular capitalism. If we have to dress up or disguise capitalism to make it easier to live with, I’m all for it.
The best part is, if you don’t want to participate, you don’t have to! I’ll be staying home and reading a rom-com and eating chocolate-covered strawberries on the day of, and this weekend, I’ll be getting drunk at Dave & Buster’s with my best friend. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Ronan Himelrick:
Who doesn’t love love? I for one love love, but that does not mean I love Valentine’s Day. I actually consider Valentine’s Day to be one of my least favorite holidays to celebrate. In my opinion, the glitz and glam of roses, hearts and teddy bears takes away from the holiday, and the greater message, love.
I argue that celebrating love should be an everyday affair, not just one day a year. In elementary school, Valentine’s Day was a great time for me. I had the chance to come home with a baggie of candy, and the possibility of hitting it off with my crush at the time (which did not happen.)
In my years since, I have seen the rise of capitalistic ideals ruining this once beloved holiday with price tags and marketing ploys. I don’t hate Valentine’s Day, but I do hate what it has become. You can say that capitalism has sunk its teeth into every major holiday, diluting their respective messages for profit, and yes, that is very true, but I find it especially true for Valentine’s Day.
Countless times I have seen ads for overpriced chocolate or flowers with the message “Show her you care, share the love,” or whatever else the brilliant corporate minds at Hallmark can think of, and I think to myself, is this where we’re at as a society? Can we really not do better than this?
Instead of wishing you and yours a happy Valentine’s Day this February, I will simply ask you to reconsider your mentality. Show your love to the world whenever possible, and make everyday a day of love.