I am the Anti-Cupid

I am linking this article from MSN by Laura Gilbert, which explains some of the very good reasons to hate Valentines Day.

I agree wholeheartedly with this article. I think far too many women let themselves get worked up over this pipe dream of a perfect, romantic Valentine's Day. They end up terribly disappointed and angry, when they usually didn't tell their man what they wanted in the first place. Because they are all supposed to morph into a combination of Fabio, Don Juan and Elvis on February 14th. A guy might have thought he was doing great by bringing home a dozen roses, when his wife or girlfriend wanted to go out to dinner at a nice restaurant, where a box from her favorite jeweler came out with the dessert. Valentine's Day emphasizes all the negative sexual stereotypes in our society. Women are sending the message "If you buy me nice things, nookie is guaranteed!" This lets men think that what women really want is to be taken care of, and that our bodies are their reward. The goal of equality women been working towards for hundreds of years is completely abandoned in a chocolate bon-bon and conversation heart induced sugar high. And if he even gets close to giving her the Valentine's Day she wanted, she will put up him leaving dirty socks on the bathroom floor, not calling when he's going to be late, and generally acting like a stereotypical 1950's husband the rest of the year.

We are not hardwood floors, ladies. Don't let him lay you right once and then walk all over you!

And men are forced to try to be both the caveman who brings home the biggest woolly mammoth (i.e. the most expensive gift) and the sensitive creative modern man who can access his inner goddess and pick the perfect romantic present. I imagine it must be very stressful for them. I know Jeff is rather relieved that I abhor this holiday and want no part of it. And that I really mean it and it's not a trick.

So then we've also added all of this romantic/relationship stress to the normal stress of every day life. For example, this year, Valentine's Day falls on a Wednesday. Sure, let's stick the kids with the baby-sitter on a school night, eat in a crowded restaurant, where we're getting rushed because someone is waiting for our table, drink a bottle of expensive champagne so that we can be hungover, tired, and cranky for work on Thursday. The true goal of the holiday is to make people who are involved in relationships spend as much money as possible.

So do I think romance is bad? I am against love? No, of course not. I love love. I am married to the man I love so much it makes my heart overflow. But I want to make sure he knows that every day, and I want to feel like I am loved and respected every day. And I am loved and respected everyday. Not just on February 14th, because of an old tradition that promotes outdated ways of thinking and that has been commercialized to the point where it makes me nauseated thinking about it.

Merry Part and Blessed Be