Valentine Day, Opo Kuwi?
by Totok Eko Suwito
Every year on February 14, millions of people celebrate Valentine’s Day. People believe that this day is the most romantic and wonderful time to make a declaration of love, dance, sing, kiss and feel love running through their veins. Everyone dreams of spending this day in a special and unforgettable way. They buy flowers, colorful ribbons, balloons and stickers to decorate their offices, streets, houses and restaurants. I’m not the one who hates Valentine’s Day, but I prefer to think rationally and remain reasonable in different situations.
Have you ever tried to understand why Valentine’s Day is so overrated all over the world? I think that this extraordinary day is a nice opportunity for pop culture, TV shows, magazines and websites to increase their popularity ratings. The efforts of mass media to make this holiday special exert big influence on a human mind and shape public opinion. As a result, many people find this holiday significant and symbolic. I have many single friends who don’t like this day. They often say that social and mass media overrate the importance of Valentine’s Day and it has a negative effect on their moods. It’s hard to believe, but even Valentine’s Day has a dark side.
1. Commercial holiday
Valentine’s Day has become extremely commercialized. Every year a great number of printing and other companies create millions of valentine cards, toys, stickers and other interesting stuff. This day is a jackpot for many traders from all over the world. It’s a nice opportunity for them to double or even treble the prices and make a big profit of it. If you want to be rich and make this holiday your favorite one, you should learn how to become a florist, confectioner or a trader. Today mass media has become an effective tool of trade promotion. They create agiotage around this day and make people interested in its celebration. This holiday of happiness and love usually costs a pretty penny, because our generation is already sick and tired of banal valentine cards. Every lady is waiting for something special.
2. It can either strengthen or destroy a relationship
Many studies show that Valentine’s Day can exert either positive or catalytic effect on the loving relationship of different couples. Many couples, who have weak and unstable relationships, usually lack care, intimacy and romance during this day. They see hundreds of happy couples walking along the streets and come to a conclusion that the spark of love and romance has already faded away.
I’m the one who still believes in a real love. I’m sure that loving hearts can surmount both physical and emotional barriers. St. Valentine’s Day is the perfect moment to find the right words and make an attempt to heal your relationship. Everything is up to you. If you want to prevent crisis in your relationship, you should kiss, embrace, make pleasant surprises and prove your love every day.
3. Painful reminder
It seems to me that those people who tend to make Valentine’s Day so overrated are a little bit selfish personalities. They think only about their business and search for the most effective ways to increase their incomes or popularity. They don’t realize that their promotional activity and annoying advertisements can plunge somebody into depression and make them feel blue. When I was single I hated this day, it made me feel lonely. That painful reminder filled my mind with stress and sorrow during the whole day. Luckily, I had an opportunity to celebrate this holiday with my family and forget about loneliness and problems in my personal life.
4. Valentine’s Day is everywhere
Have you ever tried to run away from St. Valentine’s Day? Sometimes I gain an impression that there’s no place in the world where this holiday is not celebrated. I believe it’s overrated and celebrated in almost all countries. You can’t skip and forget about Valentine’s Day, because its symbols are everywhere. Everything is decorated with pink ribbons, red hearts, love poems and paper heart garlands. You have no opportunity to go out, because an army of sweeties have already booked the tables at almost all restaurants and cafes of your city. Even your decision to stay at home and enjoy watching TV won’t save the situation, because all popular shows are talking about St. Valentine’s Day. It’s too much of a good thing, don’t you think?
5. It makes you feel guilty
Even if you contrive to say goodbye to this icky holiday, you’ll have to overcome the feeling of guilt. If you decide to skip this day, you’ll always remember that your workmates, friends and family members instinctively expect you to congratulate them on Valentine’s Day. If you don’t prepare beautiful and romantic gifts or refuse to spend the night out with your loved one, they may get seriously offended.
As a result, many people feel obliged to buy and send valentine cards to those they’re communicating and cooperating with. I think that such forced declaration of love is absolutely insincere and pointless. The tradition of exchanging presents has nothing in common with love.
I hope you’ve already understood why Valentine’s Day is so important. Commercial companies and mass media use psychological techniques to overrate this holiday and earn more money. If you’re a romantic person, you should forget about different marketing and psychological tricks and enjoy this holiday with your significant other. Realistic personalities should do their best to think positively and find ways to spend this day with a smile on their faces. Do you agree that Valentine’s Day is overrated?
