By Cassidy Johnson
The stereotypical representation of Valentine’s Day depicts starry-eyed lovers, heart-shaped gifts, and a commercially-motivated celebration of love. However, this one day is a double-sided coin. While it may be filled with jovial affection for some, Valentine’s Day can still serve as the epitome of loneliness for those without a significant other. I went around campus interviewing a plethora of Apopkans–mostly singles–to share their thoughts about February 14th to see where they fall on the bitterness scale. Surprisingly the majority of people were semi-bittersweet or content with Singles Awareness Day. There were those, however, who brought up the exploitative nature of capitalism or were downright sour about a usually sweet day.
Melanie Halem (senior): “Valentine’s Day can suck my . . .”
Carine Metelus (senior): “Sometimes it can make you feel kinda lonely like, ‘dang I wish I had someone,’ because you see all these promotions, and you don’t have a special someone.”
Jeanine Carryl (senior): “I think that capitalism has turned it into a way for people to just spend money on someone for just that one day. You should be celebrating love every single day. You don’t have to dedicate one day for it, it doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day to show them that you care.”
Nick Javorowski (senior): “Valentine’s Day this year was kinda depressing for me because after getting to spend it together last year with Maymay [his girlfriend who lives in Thailiand], it just reminds me of the time we spent when we could actually see each other, but now that isn’t so much the case. It makes me jealous of everyone else that gets to be with their boyfriend or girlfriend but for me it’s kind of depressing.”
Brittany Beckwith (senior): “It’s fine, I’m not bitter over people in a relationship. I’m just focused on school work and living my own life; living my best life.”
Gilbert Tamakaloe (sophomore): “I really like it because I see other people happy. Sometimes I see someone that’s really alone and I’ll tell them that I like them, I just want them to feel like people like them. So overall, [Valentine’s Day] is actually a really good thing, as long as you don’t feel sad about it.”
Mariamma Etienne (senior): “Valentine’s Day is the one time of year that people feel obligated to do something for their significant other just because. If you really care about someone you shouldn’t wait once a year to show that on a day society has settled on. Every day and any day should be Valentine’s Day; time is fleeting.”
Gracie Darlington (senior): “I don’t hate Valentine’s Day, but I’ve never really had a serious boyfriend so I’ve never really celebrated it in a grand way. My freshman year, my older brother that was going to college at the University of Oklahoma made this big arrangement to get a bear and chocolates and balloons to Mrs. Houvouras’ class for me, which has been my only experience with Valentine’s Day. But I don’t really participate.”
Mr. Houvouras: “We don’t do much for Valentine’s Day because it’s just a day for flower companies to raise the rates for a dozen roses. I’m much more about getting someone flowers or surprising them throughout the year so that it’s not just a holiday thing.”
Madison Jones (senior): “I don’t really care for it but I’m not entirely against it. If they want to be happy then go ahead.”
Jenelle Fernando (sophomore): I think that Valentine’s Day is a very nice day to show your appreciation for and love to your significant other. It’s nice to know that there is a specific day just for love. Experiencing this holiday by myself always leaves me with a bittersweet kind of feeling. It really emphasizes the fact that you are alone (which is alright but it sucks). You can also feel the love and happiness that surrounds everyone except yourself. Even though this day is all about dating and love, my friend group still goes out of their way to make sure that no one is left and forgotten, which is very nice. Hanging out with my single friends ends up being very lit because we accept that we are on the same lonely boat and that we are not subjected to the rules of a relationship. In the end, I still get my candy, so everything works out.”
Whether you view Valentine’s Day in a positive or negative light, you cannot argue that this commercial endeavor has diverged from its original purpose. The Catholic Church dubbed February 14th as a feast day to honor St. Valentine. Living in ancient Roman times, St. Valentine spent his life defending his faith and marrying couples in Christian ceremonies despite the decree of the Emperor. Imprisoned for refusing to renounce his faith, St. Valentine was beheaded after allegedly writing a letter to a once blind girl he had given sight to, signed “Your Valentine.”