Mano a mano: Valentine’s Day

Two Torch editors go toe-to-toe on the holiday

Graphic by: Sarah Massey | Production assistant

By: Angela Graf | News Editor

I am so sick of hearing people complain about how horrible Valentine’s Day is.

We get it. It’s a Hallmark holiday perpetuated by social norms. How very hipster-esque of you to point out. But do you know what else Valentine’s Day is?

It is a breath of fresh air. I take five classes, work upwards of 15 hours a week, pay bills, pay rent, deal with roommate drama, am currently in the process of applying for internships and frankly, my boyfriend is busier than I am most days.

Is it so damn awful that there is a day where you have an excuse to just stop and enjoy a little time with the person you love?

Nobody is telling you to buy the overpriced chocolate, go to a fancy restaurant or make a big fat huge deal.

Just drop the homework, step away from the computer and make a meal together. Play a board game. Watch a movie. Light a candle and have some really great sex without worrying about the essay you have to write afterwards.

And I know that you can do these things any day of the year. But why do we make a turkey on Thanksgiving? Wear costumes on Halloween? Blow off fireworks on the Fourth of July?

Because, why not?

I get that not everybody is in a relationship. You’re single and you don’t want to deal with the holiday and that’s totally fine. Maybe you went through a bad breakup—we’ve all been there.

But look around. The world can use as much love and joy as it can get right now.

So take advantage of the marked-down chocolate on the 15th and please, pull up your pants and stop crapping all over it for everybody else. 

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Graphic by: Sarah Massey | Production assistant

By: Travis Sacher | Opinions Editor

Seriously, what is the point of Valentine’s Day?

There is only one holiday that is more worthless and useless and that’s Columbus Day.

Why do temporary couples need to spend money and stage affection for their significant other? I know I already angered many people in “serious” relationships by saying temporary. So, let’s look at some numbers on relationships.

According to an article and poll done by USA Today, only 28 percent of marriages come from two people attending the same university. So maybe two or three out of every 10 Ferris relationships will end up together. But this statistic means nothing, because a student may be dating another student at Ferris, break up, feel like their lives are over and somewhere down the road marry another Ferris student. So, in my eyes, every relationship ends.

Even if you somehow miraculously end up marrying your current partner, the marriage will more than likely end in divorce. The current divorce rate in the U.S. is about 50 percent for first marriages. The number will rise and your life will go to total hell when you add your marriage to the ever-growing list of divorces.

I did not always hate Valentine’s Day. I loved making bags with cards and candy for my classmates in elementary school. As a child, I imagined myself having a beautiful wedding and living a happy life with somebody special. That was the opposite of what I witnessed every day growing up with parents who hated each other and used the excuse of their children for staying married. Ultimately, like more than half of marriages will, it ended in divorce.

Sure, I’m a firm believer of living in the present and not what could be in the future but this day just is a waste. I have indeed celebrated Valentine’s Day with former partners. I did my best to be romantic, spent too much money and went out of my way for people who are no longer associated with my life.

There’s a stigma against Valentine’s Day for those who don’t celebrate. It’s an exclusive day for people who are happy with another person by society’s standard of a relationship. If you have nobody to celebrate with, what is the point of this day? Why do a select few get the privilege of experiencing the day of love because they were lucky enough to find the special person for them?

Clearly, my views of Valentine’s Day are pessimistic. I just don’t see the need for people in relationships to celebrate their special bond. You’re supposed to do that every day already. If you don’t, you shouldn’t be together. If you do, my social media feeds let me know on the daily how happy you are with your significant other. Do the world of single, sad, bitter, bereaved folks a favor: don’t boast about how perfect your Valentine’s Day was.