Warning, rant.

[forgotten_aria]

Valentine's day should be changed to "Get off you butt, do the things you haven't had courage to do, appricate the things that you do have" and take the pretense of romance out of it. Those things could still be asking people out and appricating your SO, but it could also be things like asking for a raise or finishing putting the new wax seal in the toilet or appricating that you have very nice pants that fit. The stores could still sell their wares, it just wouldn't have the lonelifying effect, since hte stress would be on you going out and doing something for yourself.

Comments

Re: Special days

[testing4l.livejournal.com]

Isn't the problem your expectations then? I mean, for example, if you hadn't expected anything, you wouldn't have been disappointed. Even with my blossoming social life, the only gift I actually got was from my girlfriend's family.

Personally, I think I need to make friends with others who aren't broke college students. On the other hand, I am one of those, so I shouldn't throw too many rocks.

Frankly, this is the perfect reason to rechristen the holiday ; ) Forget the love stuff. Geek! Read! Drink! Light fireworks! Play with aerosol flamethrowers!

Oooh! Best of all! Set off dry ice bombs in front of concrete structures for the _really_ loud boom they make!!!!

[binkbink.livejournal.com]

Expectations. That's the point. By being accepted by the masses as the custom, the "holidays" create the expectations. So when the socialization (from the cradle) is that at least one someone ~should~ care at a particular time, but then no one does, then the person thus forgotten feels defective, even if they didn't expect any acknowledgment. This is the event at fault, and not the person who knows they don't mean enough to anyone to deserve being remembered on that Special Day set aside for it.

If there were no special day, a person could just let themselves believe that everyone who knows them is just too busy, doesn't go in for that kind of stuff, or hasn't got around to it yet.

Re:

[testing4l.livejournal.com]

If there were a different special day (Phil's day instead of V-day), then there wouldn't be a problem.

Re:

[forgotten-aria.livejournal.com]

Except in your description of Phil Day you said:

Enjoy being a sneak and setting up an elaborate plan for your SO. Enjoy geeking out with the love of your life in the next chair over. Enjoy going out to a bar and meeting new people. Ask someone out.

Which has expectactions involved. But really, I think that Bink isn't taking your posts with enough humor and you're taking her posts with too much emotions (I'm pretty sure she is stating her (and my) case with a reasonable amount of detachment.)

Bink, phil, phil, bink.

I don't think that either one of you needs to further your point, since I think that the deifficulties of the medium of text is mostly what is fueling the debate.

Re:

[testing4l.livejournal.com]

Sure, but didn't I say all things Phil-like? If I didn't, I meant it 8)

Look, if nothing else, the name sounds better ; )

Oh, hiya bink =D