Yesterday’s papers were full of snippets about the handful of couples (and some singles hoping to get lucky) who had nothing better to do than stand in front of the Brandenburg Gate in freezing temperatures and snog away in public view. Maybe they were hoping for their fifteen (or even thirty seconds would do) minutes of fame on the box. I don’t know if they succeeded: I don’t have a television so I’ll never know.
What was their motive? A protest against the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day. Well lo and behold! Since when has 14th February been anything but a huge commercial funfair? The only reason everyone is bombarded with commercial messages in February is to get them hyped up and buying cards, chocolates, flowers and naff looking pieces of useless, fluffy kitsch articles remotely resembling members of the animal kingdom, which are manufactured somewhere most definitely not in Europe.
If Valentine’s Day was not made into a huge commercial event, then how on earth could retailers shift all this useless junk every year?
Incidentally, the above holds true for all the other annual pseudo/quasi-religious (or otherwise) happenings. Examples could include – Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Halloween, Carnival – I’m sure you can supply your own local traditions.
If these lovey-dovey couples really wanted to protest against the gross commercialisation of Valentine’s Day (or any other commercialisation) then there is only one effective measure which strikes right at the heart of the problem – BOYCOTT!
What was their motive? A protest against the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day. Well lo and behold! Since when has 14th February been anything but a huge commercial funfair? The only reason everyone is bombarded with commercial messages in February is to get them hyped up and buying cards, chocolates, flowers and naff looking pieces of useless, fluffy kitsch articles remotely resembling members of the animal kingdom, which are manufactured somewhere most definitely not in Europe.
If Valentine’s Day was not made into a huge commercial event, then how on earth could retailers shift all this useless junk every year?
Incidentally, the above holds true for all the other annual pseudo/quasi-religious (or otherwise) happenings. Examples could include – Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Halloween, Carnival – I’m sure you can supply your own local traditions.
If these lovey-dovey couples really wanted to protest against the gross commercialisation of Valentine’s Day (or any other commercialisation) then there is only one effective measure which strikes right at the heart of the problem – BOYCOTT!
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