Dead Criminal Day

Who is St. Valentine?  Which of the Valentines are we celebrating here?  The most commonly accepted Valentine is the bishop of Terni, who performed Catholic marriages in Italy even though they weren't allowed and eventually got executed (on February 14, apparently) after trying to convert Claudius.

So.  We're celebrating the execution of some Catholic dude who was breaking the law.  Like Easter, except mundane and kind of pointless.  Also, Jesus was Jewish, but that's way not the point.

In my opinion, Valentine's Day has been warped so badly that it doesn't matter what the origins are; V-Day is now simply a commercial exploitation of the human desire for comfort and intimacy.  Nothing says "I love you" like a big box of expensive chocolates, or a big bouquet of overpriced flowers, or a diamond necklace, or...you get the point.  You never hear of "Fourth of July Diamond Earrings," which would be more appropriate in our society even though it should be July 2.  You never hear of "Beltane Sapphire Bracelets."  I'm just throwing out holidays here; I'm trying to show how silly it is to give in to this stupidity. 

I'm not one of those people who shout "Death to Consumerism" at every opportunity.  I'm not obsessed with money, but I understand the reasons for it.  However, this makes me a little ill.  I'm not necessarily irritated with the companies; supply and demand is basically why they do what they do.  I'm annoyed with the consumers.  I'm annoyed that everything's all pink and gross.  I'm annoyed with the women who say, "I'm on a diet, but hey, it's Valentine's Day.  I'm going to eat a box of chocolates.  Wait until tomorrow when I cry at you about how I'm so fat."  I'm annoyed that people overthink V-Day because they believe it's important.

It's not.

There's no real religious context.  There's no political context.  Isn't that why we have holidays?  An old Catholic dude, who pretty much nobody's heard of, got executed for breaking the laws in fourteenth-century Italy.  The closest thing to romance in his case is the illegal marriages he performed. 

...Maybe, instead of exchanging gifts with our significant others, we should go out and commit crimes together.  That would be more in the spirit of Valentine's Day.

Now, I'm not a V-Day grouch.  I'm single right now, yes, but guess what?  I like being single.  Having a significant other is too much work; it takes up energy I'm not willing to expend at this point in my life and takes up time I simply don't have.  My views would not change if I suddenly had a Valentine.  So please don't assume that I'm just bitter.

I just don't find dead criminals very romantic.

Questions?  Comments?  Concerns?  Feel free to give me an earful, if you want; I'm all ears and eyes.