(no subject)

[jack]

Last year I posted http://cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com/296126.html. The response was sufficiently positive I felt I should repost a slightly cut down version here.

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Every year there's a bit of a blat-blat about valentines day, with some people (and all advertising) going over the top, many people feeling pissed off, many people justifying it.

Is it worth celebrating valentines? Certainly. Love is a great thing, we have days to celebrate all sorts of crap, why not this?

Is there a good reason people get annoyed? Certainly. The problem isn't people who celebrate themselves, but a lot of advertising suggesting you have to.

Should we cancel valentines? I don't think so. Do we cancel Christmas to avoid upsetting people with no families? Do we cancel New Years to avoid upsetting people who can't drink? Do we cancel Easter or Ramadan to avoid upsetting people of different or no religion? Do we cancel sysadmin appreciation day because 99% of the population think it's stupid? All (except the last) are too noticeable to simply ignore. But we do make an effort to reach out to people without families on Christmas, etc.

Why not tomorrow take the opportunity to think of people you love in different ways? Is there anyone you owe a kiss? Have you told your best friend that they are your best friend? Did you ever ring your father up just to say you love him?

OK, I'm being sappy, but I know about 30% of you need some cheering up. Everyone else please continue being sappy or sarcastic as appropriate.

ETA: For that matter, two alternative celebrations have been suggested, too late for this year, but good, in that they're not anti-romantic, but a-romantic, an alternative for people who don't want to complain about romance, but want to do something else:

1. Garlic party day
2. Randomly chop some heads off or burn people on wheels or whatever supposedly happened to supposed St. Valentine.

Comments

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Alternatives: Staggering Brilliant Singles-Only Party?

A friend used to hold one; two of the attendees got married last year :-)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

LOL. Yes, exactly. That's the obvious suggestion. Or, indeed, a valentines-themed party singles and couples can come to.

But in fact, I preferred the idea of something positive (like eastercon for easter), something not about valentines at all, but something instead, hence the garlic party. Anti-valentines parties, while often fun, often seem a bit pointless, people (in whatever romantic stage) ironically being curmudgeonly about valentines, and you have to get over that, whereas garlic can be all positive from the get go :)

Carlton rose-petal wine sounds good, and I expect some couples, but I also expect some bitching about the commercialness of valentines, etc.

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

I am inclined to bring my rose-flavoured chocolate to the Carlton.

My landlady suggested a party people pay to attend, with the donations going to the Papworth Heart Hospital. Then that I could do a sponsored snog for Papworth. Then offered me some Gift Aid forms. !

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

:-/ I have some sympathy with the idea :), but I'm not sure where she was going with that!