homo.

i lub you!
your favorite oldest little sister

Valentine’s Day is not “prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination on the basis of sex.”

It is, in fact, a day just like any other, save for a few small details:

1. It has been set apart by it’s dedication to the celebration of Saint Valentine (or a number of Saint Valentine’s specifically one martyred 200-300 years after Christ was born) Attempts have been made to associate him with romantic love, but are largely laughable.

2. It has been set apart to celebrate romantic love. The date is even associated with Ancient Roman celebrations of the marriage of Zeus and Hera.

To celebrate romantic love is not to judge you personally for your behavior over the last year, romantic or otherwise. In fact, it has little to do with you. It is a day made to celebrate those that you love romantically. If you feel judged by the commercials of a jewelry store, and you do in fact behave in a romantic way 365/year, then toss their advertisements away as so much dross. There is no need to castigate a company for advertising their products because you impose a false sense of guilt on yourself.

Stand up for yourself not by ranting on the internet, but by being the change you wish to see in your culture, and foster it in others.

Blaming jewelry and card companies for your infantile angst is hardly constructive. The celebration of the day predates modern card and jewelry companies. “it’s an excuse for whatever company makes sweethearts… to make some dough,” is unfair. Capitalism, lest you forget, is about more than just “making dough.” It is about the give and take of supply and demand. There are those who wish to celebrate by buying candy they provide the demand- companies only supply with is demanded and then try to convince others of the need felt by some. Your argument about as logical as saying that those in the middle ages made up courtly love or the practice of writing lovely hand-written cards to make money.

Those unhappy with modern celebratory practices are free to return to or even create alternate celebrations if they chose. Perhaps by celebrating “Anna Howard Shaw Day,” or “Fredrick Douglass Day,” or just chose to celebrate those things that can be most appreciated in the opposite gender. One might even think up creative ways to celebrate one’s gender if one were more selfishly inclined.

Logically, capitalist does not equal sexist- and wickedly capitalist is all that you seem argue this day’s celebrations are. You do argue that the culture is biased against men and moral masculinity, which is logical and cogent, but certainly not restricted to Valentine’s Day.

Gender biases exist throughout our culture and begin not with commercials, but with the education of young men and women. The fact is that men and women are different, and little boys and girls even more so. If you would like to further your own learning (and perhaps then lend credence to your future gender rants) then look to gender experts like Leonard Sax, MD, PhD, Louann Brizendine, et. al..