Cedar Sentinel 2013-2014 Issues February 2014: Issue 47 Issue 5 | Page 7

If Valentine’s Day Was
Abolished

By: Ellen Galupo

Ladies and Gentleman, singles, in a relationship, or those in a complicated drama, I am here today
to talk about the abolition of Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day – The Single’s Awareness Day – SAD. Cleverly situated during the coldest and
shortest month of the year. Today, I am fighting for the rights of Singles and Long Distance couples,
widowed, and the military wives who are away from their loved ones. Now, before you shoot me
with your arrows, please allow me to explain. I am not here to destroy relationships, nor turn love
birds into Angry Birds. I am here to propose the abolition of this discriminatory day. It is in the
Human Charter of Rights and Freedom from our great country for everyone to be equal, but there
is a minority being oppressed during this festivity. During the month of February, shoppers are
bombarded with fancy, overpriced chocolates, champagne (non-alcoholic, to keep it KC appropriate), inappropriate clothing exposed to children (yes, as young as one year-old!) and decorative gifts.
While couples are celebrating, drinking champagne (non-alcoholic), eating calorie-free chocolates,
laughing, and exchanging gifts, we, the minority, are in the dark corner, rocking back and forth and
forth and back. Is it their fault there is none to love at the moment? But having this day seems to
insinuate the reality of having no companion on this dreaded day. I am not saying this to take away
the happiness of those who are in a relationship. All I’m saying is, there are other means to celebrate
your love for one another. There is, anniversary, monthsary, or even weeksary! But why must one
day be publicly, and shamelessly celebrated.

Why must the world celebrate a cruel baby endearingly named Cupid? Picture it. A young man.
Sitting on a bench. Next to him was a beautiful stranger. Cupid, in his childish and impetuous
intellect, thought he could make them fall in love. So, Cupid discharges a Love arrow at the young
man. The young man then hopelessly falls in love with the beautiful girl next to him – and then his
girlfriend came.
My third argument, if you are nonetheless persistent upon reading after my outrageous but remarkably logical proposition, is that Valentine’s Day is strongly commercialized. Billions of dollars, from
unnecessary expenses such a ́