It's an interesting assumption that a commercial holiday could or should deliver a deeper interpretation of anything. Commercial holidays are all about companies making money. That's it. That's all there is to it. Individual people, navigating their own relationships, may be able to deliver a deeper interpretation, but not a commercial holiday.
I am still unclear about what you as a person would want from Valentine's day and how you would make it better. From my point of view, such holidays are what I make of them. Christmas (for example) could be commercial-, or family-, or community- or Christian-oriented, but I get to choose how to celebrate or ignore it. Same for Valentines, Easter, or Australia Day. Whether the celebration is 'deep' or 'shallow' is a value that I have created. I imagine that some people are made happier by consumerist, manipulative and shallow interpretation of romance for Valentine's day. Good luck to them. Life's rich pageant.
Individual people, navigating their own relationships, may be able to deliver a deeper interpretation, but not a commercial holiday.
That was my response...
But here goes. I tend to think that holidays like Valentine's day are ridiculous and feed our strange cultural conceptions about love and commitment. As if giving flowers to someone one day a year is "romance." As if "romance" as it is contructed by our culture is necessary to a meaningful committed relationship... Love and commitment are easily visible in the words and actions of people 365 days a year, and pressuring people to buy flowers, jewelry, chocolates, and overpriced stuffed animals (that were probably made in a sweatshop and will end up in the landfill shortly) in order to express their love seems utterly ridiculous.
I don't doubt that many people are made happier by all the commercial holidays we celebrate - consumerism is the new opiate of the masses, and buying something for somebody is much easier than truly being there for them, day in and day out. The fact that commercial holidays like this do make so many people think they're happy is actually quite an indictment of our unsustainable consumer culture, in my opinion. But maybe that's just me...
What do you want from Valentine's day?
ReplyDeleteWhat would a deep interpretation of romance look like?
Probably more than just buying a bunch of shit that you've been told to buy by the ads on the tv machine.
ReplyDelete... no Virginia, a diamond isn't forever.
So apart from a ban on watching TV and no diamonds, what do you actually want?
ReplyDeleteCan Valentine's day deliver a deeper interpretation of romance?
It's an interesting assumption that a commercial holiday could or should deliver a deeper interpretation of anything. Commercial holidays are all about companies making money. That's it. That's all there is to it. Individual people, navigating their own relationships, may be able to deliver a deeper interpretation, but not a commercial holiday.
ReplyDeleteI am still unclear about what you as a person would want from Valentine's day and how you would make it better.
ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view, such holidays are what I make of them. Christmas (for example) could be commercial-, or family-, or community- or Christian-oriented, but I get to choose how to celebrate or ignore it. Same for Valentines, Easter, or Australia Day.
Whether the celebration is 'deep' or 'shallow' is a value that I have created.
I imagine that some people are made happier by consumerist, manipulative and shallow interpretation of romance for Valentine's day. Good luck to them. Life's rich pageant.
Individual people, navigating their own relationships, may be able to deliver a deeper interpretation, but not a commercial holiday.
ReplyDeleteThat was my response...
But here goes. I tend to think that holidays like Valentine's day are ridiculous and feed our strange cultural conceptions about love and commitment. As if giving flowers to someone one day a year is "romance." As if "romance" as it is contructed by our culture is necessary to a meaningful committed relationship... Love and commitment are easily visible in the words and actions of people 365 days a year, and pressuring people to buy flowers, jewelry, chocolates, and overpriced stuffed animals (that were probably made in a sweatshop and will end up in the landfill shortly) in order to express their love seems utterly ridiculous.
I don't doubt that many people are made happier by all the commercial holidays we celebrate - consumerism is the new opiate of the masses, and buying something for somebody is much easier than truly being there for them, day in and day out. The fact that commercial holidays like this do make so many people think they're happy is actually quite an indictment of our unsustainable consumer culture, in my opinion. But maybe that's just me...