"Don’t be my Valentine"

Maybe I’m not sufficiently romantic, but there’s always been something strange to me about Valentine’s Day. From being forced to bring little Valentine’s cards for my classmates in elementary school (as a mandatory classroom activity), to being relentlessly bombarded by marketing messages from greeting card, flower and candy companies, something hasn’t been right.

Was it me? Was it only me?

I guess not. CNN contributor Roland Martin says it clearly with in his essay today, “Please don’t be my Valentine.” Here’s an excerpt:

First of all, Valentine’s Day is not built around a religious event like Christmas or Easter; nor does it have any special meaning to the nation such as Memorial Day or Veterans Day.

It is nothing more than a commercial holiday created by rabid retailers who needed a major shopping day between Christmas and Easter in order to give people a reason to spend money.

Now folks, I love my wife. She is truly an awesome woman who is smart, talented, fine, and, did I say fine? But do I really need a special day to show my affection for her?

He continues,

And Valentine’s Day really isn’t even a two-way street. Men are utterly irrelevant except to serve as pawns in this commercial game, emptying their wallets in order to satisfy their lovers or those around them. Oh yea, retailers know the con game.

I’m with you, Roland. Considering that I took my wife out on a dinner date last night, it’s clear that we don’t need a special day to show our affection. We try to make every day special. I think I’m plenty romantic.

We don’t need to support a retail-driven holiday that guilts men into buying specific products on a specific day in order to demonstrate their love for their special ladies.

Read Roland’s commentary. What do you think?