We hate Valentines thread

MookJong said:
We don't buy gifts, just a card and I'm cooking a surprise meal tonight which will cost a little more than normal but to say I have fallen for some commercial trap is a joke.

I show my GF I love her at all the time, however taking one day out of the year to focus on our relationship and celebrate it cannot be a bad thing. It's the people who think valentines is about buying expensive gifts that have got it all wrong and seem to be the people who also dislike Christmas.

These days are about stopping to concentrate 100% on the people who are important in your life and celebrating with them, what is wrong with that?

I bet you lot celebrate Birthdays and Weddings.....hipocrits ;)
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Nothing wrong with taking a day of the year to focus on your relationship - that's what anniversaries are for. If you feel you need another day to do so then, by all means, do it, just do it when you want to, not when Hallmark tell you to do it.

I dislike Christmas for the same reason - it's expected of you to buy stuff for no other reason than that it's Christmas. Being an atheist means Christmas and Easter mean nothing to me, so I choose not to be dragged into it.

I celebrate birthdays and anniversaries because they are events that are special but rarely with gifts. I buy gifts for the kids at birthdays and Christmas, not because I want to but because I'm not the one who'll be called names because their Dad didn't buy them anything. Everybody else gets a phone call or an e-mail to wish them well on the occasion.

I don't think that makes me a hypocrite.

I'm not mean. I buy gifts for my family and friends regularly - but on my terms and when it suits me. A bunch of flowers to my Mam on a random day through the year means more to her than the same bunch on her birthday or at Christmas because it means I'm thinking about her without having some random, commercial spendfest remind me I should be thinking of her. I prefer my way of doing things - if you prefer your way, then carry on :)
 
ChroniC said:
None of these repsonses suprise my, i should imagine a high percentage of you are nerds. :D
Valentines day is their cryptonite.
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I am not a nerd I just have **** all luck with relationships and get dumped on a regular basis + I don't see why I have to spend **** loads of money on the 14th when I could easily wait another week for all the prices to go down then go out with the missus (If I happen to have one at the time)
 
Capn' $qu!ff said:
I am not a nerd I just have **** all luck with relationships and get dumped on a regular basis + I don't see why I have to spend **** loads of money on the 14th when I could easily wait another week for all the prices to go down then go out with the missus (If I happen to have one at the time)
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Who needs luck.
All of the things i have bought are not priced any differently, and i agree with majok its not about the gifts, its about buying the things that show them your thoughts and feelings, not mandatory chocolates. It's called romance, maybe thats where your failing. ;)
Every event has a pinnacle day, i take it you dont buy your mum and dad fathers/mothers day gifts.
 
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Bigstan said:
I dislike Christmas for the same reason - it's expected of you to buy stuff for no other reason than that it's Christmas. Being an atheist means Christmas and Easter mean nothing to me, so I choose not to be dragged into it.
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Well this is where we differ, I see past the commercialism and I am far from Christian but I use these dates every year to take a moment to stop, celebrate and reflect on the best things in my life.

You could say "well I respect fallen soldiers all the time so we don't need Remembrance Sunday".....but thats not the point is it.

The difference with making things an official day and not just when you want is that you and those around you go into these days with a different mind set. Official days give a common bond, that you cannot disagree with.
 
Bigstan said:
Could you elucidate a little please?
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It wasn't invented for profit, it isn't enforced in any way and it isn't effecting your life or wallet if you don't want to take part.

There are far greater commercial strategies that effect our lives every day....do you not own a television?
 
ChroniC said:
None of these repsonses suprise my, i should imagine a high percentage of you are nerds. :D
Valentines day is their cryptonite.
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I couldn't quite decide for this so have a selection :)



failure.jpg
original.jpg

fail-epic.jpg
funny-pictures-bird-cat-cage.jpg
 
MookJong said:
Well this is where we differ, I see past the commercialism and I am far from Christian but I use these dates every year to take a moment to stop, celebrate and reflect on the best things in my life.

You could say "well I respect fallen soldiers all the time so we don't need Remembrance Sunday".....but thats not the point is it.

The difference with making things an official day and not just when you want is that you and those around you go into these days with a different mind set. Official days give a common bond, that you cannot disagree with.
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If the official days were purely to "give a common bond" then I wouldn't have a problem with it. It's the way they've been hijacked by unscrupulous business people and turned into an orgy of marketing and spending that I object to and refuse to get sucked into.

Your Remembrance Sunday example is a poor one. I'm not expected to buy cards or gifts for anyone. All that's asked of me is to make a donation of my choosing to help those affected by war and to spare a thought for those who gave their lives and those who continue to do so. It isn't a blatant money making exercise for greedy capitalists.

In summary, it's not the day itself that I object to, it's what the day has come to represent that disgusts me.
 
Valentines Day. It's been quite eventfull, as I've done absoloutley nothing. I got one text from a mate at like 1am saying Happy Valentines. No-one else has botherd :(
 
Bigstan said:
In summary, it's not the day itself that I object to, it's what the day has come to represent that disgusts me.
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For someone who dislikes the commercial side of these events why on earth concentrate on that superficial aspect to them? Look to the deeper meanings and opportunities these days bring, and you might find a kernel of goodness in them.
 
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i always look forward to valentines day. its the day where i can look ahead and think, wo0p, i get definate sex tonight! (unless she's too drunk)
 
MookJong said:
It wasn't invented for profit, it isn't enforced in any way and it isn't effecting your life or wallet if you don't want to take part.
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It might not have been invented for profit and may not be enforced/enforcable but it has been hijacked by profiteers and the marketing pressure is enormous, with the inference being that if you don't spend money on your loved one, you don't love them - that sort of pressure is tantamount to enforcement imo.

MookJong said:
There are far greater commercial strategies that effect our lives every day....do you not own a television?
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What does my having a televison have to do with this :confused:
 
MookJong said:
For someone who dislikes the commercial side of these events why on earth concentrate on that superficial aspect to them? Look to the deeper meanings and opportunities these days bring, and you might find a kernel of goodness in them.
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It's not me who concentrates on the commercial aspect of these events. You very rarely hear anything of the original intent of them. The only bit you see is the bit that's important to people - which is, sadly, the money bit.

As I said before, I'm an atheist so the original meaning of these events holds no interest for me (I mean Christmas, Easter and St. Valentine's day). I have no reason to celebrate these days and, apart from the gift aspect, these days have nothing that would interest me. Since I disagree with the gift aspect, it pretty much means that these days have no meaning for me at all.

Doesn't mean I can't have a moan about them though, I am a grumpy old man, after all :p
 
Bigstan said:
the inference being that if you don't spend money on your loved one, you don't love them - that sort of pressure is tantamount to enforcement imo.
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I think this pressure is far larger in your mind then it is in reality, apart from a few things in a shop windows I don't have anyone telling me the merits of splashing out.

Bigstan said:
What does my having a televison have to do with this :confused:
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Valentines day "pressure" compared to the systematic billion pound advertising campaigns seen on TV every day is nothing.
 
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