Wilkine Brutus sees Valentine’s Day through history, an international lens and his own unique perspective.
“The biggest coward is a man who awakens a woman’s love with no intention of loving her.”
-Bob Marley
The anti-Valentine Mafia will loathe Valentine’s Day by shanking the emotional, unoriginal celebrations of romantic love. V-Day is, for them, a pretentious holiday in which society forces couples & individuals to reflect on their relationship status.
The department stores display overly priced V-day products which will lure the Mafia’s anger towards crass consumerism and materialistic gluttony. Hypocrisy is juxtaposed with an anti-Valentine Day product sitting angrily in the next aisle. It slithers toward the Hallmark cards and jewelry boxes and knocks them off the shelf.
Pro-Valentine’s Day sentiment will merge the lanes together, and the store will be a V-day battlefield–love vs hate. They will defend their turf by claiming the importance of acknowledgment; the reserved days in the calendar are used as special reminders. It promotes cultural, social, and interpersonal relationships.
Saint Valentine will rest his hands in his pants like Al Bundy. He will also observe the battle. He will grin his way unnoticed. And he will whisper to himself, “They have no idea what they’re fighting for.”
Ok… maybe I took the scenario a little too far. But seriously, who is Saint Valentine? We know he was a Christian priest in the 270 A.D. Rome, who was eventually martyred by an Emperor.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated differently in many parts of the world.
Here in South Korea, the Korean women actually give the chocolate to their partner on the 14th of February. On the 14th of March, (White Day) men return the favor with non-chocolate treats. On the 14th of April, (Black Day) Koreans who didn’t receive anything for February or March, console themselves by eating black noodles (자장면 jajang-myeon).
In Hindu and Islamic countries, Valentine’s Day is usually not celebrated at all because its’ a Christian or Christianized Pagan holiday.
The video below is a satirical take on the debate. It has a final question at the end of the video to share with your friends and colleagues. Enjoy!