Valentines Day Rant - Neofeminism and the Withholding of Contrary Ideals

[Arcdelad]

St. Valentine, the name behind this hliday, had his head cut off. While I certainly don't agree with capital punishment, this seems to be a fitting representation for what this holiday has come to symbolize in today's gender equality enfused society.

I have a strong background in feminist studies...I took plenty of women's studies classes as cultural electives in school (almost enough for a minor), have a feminist wife, and have a library shelf full of the great fictional classics of feminism like Peyton Place and all of Margeret Atwood's works (like the Handmaid's Tale).

All that prefaces my observation that Valentines day as it has become is anachronistic in its implications to the current stream of gender equality. Any man who has listened to the radio, turned on the TV, watched a bus go by, look at subway tunnels, opened email knows that every kiss begins with Kay, diamonds are forever (and a girls best friend), flowers packs come in many varieties (and can be delivered too for a nice fee), vermont has teddy bears, vicky has a secret that involves lace and padding ones natural...abilities, and (at the epitome of cheesiness) you can name one of the trillion stars after your wife / gf and have it registered in the international star exchange.

I personally have no objections with vicky sharing her wonderful secrets (althouth red flag for any women thinking a seamless piece of undergharment will transform them into heidi klum - those models interject unrealistic expectations onto women - diff topic though), but this particular valentines day gift belies the underlying problem with this holiday. I like this particular gift becuase I, as a man, benefit from it. All of the other gifts, however, have no accompanied male counterparts. I have yet to see a "buy your man a new Dell XPS gaming system" ad, or a "wouldnt your man like a Family Guy boxed set?" ad.

This is becuase while society wants women to be equal (and they deserve to be equal), they also want women to hang onto the advantages of the gentleman sexist system, where women were placed on a pedastal and protected from the dark underbelly of life in a manner that would make Henry James smile in his moldy grave. Society wants women to not just be sexual objects, but also judges any actress / singer / polititician, business woman on her looks. These two notions are incompatible.

It is certainly okay to elevate your partner and reconginze her glory...this should be done everyday, and nto just on valentines day. However, this should cut both ways. Men should also be recognized and elevated, our needs exploited by valentines day profiteers in the manenr jewelry, diamonds, and other common things are.

So...my point is - celebrate valentines day equally. Lets eliminate old gender inequalities, but lets also not create new ones.

[usonian]

Well said, I couldn't agree more.  I'll toast to you as I enjoy today with a drink and my WoW friends.  Have fun battling the crowds:)

Cheers.

[Arcdelad]

crowds? are you kidding? im sending FTD lol (god am i a hippocrite)

[Shadowwolf]

FTD = 120 Spousal DKP
Grey's Anatomy = 100 Spousal DKP
Not explaining the ins and outs of DPS / Crit % = 400 Spousal DKP

Getting the kids and the spouse that doesnt play to pass out early for 2hrs of extra WoW time = priceless

for everything else, theres Kay Jewelers

[Arcdelad]

LOL....hilarious....

getting the kids out early is easy....

now the wife.............

[Shadowwolf]

they have a book that might help with that [wowitem]Tome of Tranquilizing Shot[/wowitem]

of course if that doesnt work you'll be stuck buying [wowitem]The Rock[/wowitem] to get yourself out of trouble...

[usonian]

LOL!  I was just going to suggest an hour or so of playtime with the kids, and then with the wife   Tranquilizing Shot would be the quickest though, just ask Magmadar.

As far as the ring goes, you need to add "... and shiny".  I remember walking through the mall with a lady-friend once and she made a 90 degree turn to the jewelry and literally said, "oooh shiny!".  Yikes.

[Shadowwolf]

Could you jingle your keys in front of her and keep her occupied also? 

[Arcdelad]

hahaha..absolutely hilarious guys...

your lady friend sounds like either gollom or an ogre "shiny thing..me grab"...we need to tlak about your female choices lol

[usonian]

Well luckily I was young, we didn't get married and we don't have any kids so I'll chalk it up to one of those "life experiences".  I like to think that these experiences help to whittle down the selections somehow but they seem to just keep opening more doors I haven't been through which is both a blessing and a curse.  You know my choices don't follow a pattern arc so there is no amount of talking that can save me

[Kaethdorala]

Couldnt agree with you more arc all great points. I personally dispise Valentine's day I purposely make sure i havent had a significant other for the past 2 years on this date, specifaclly for this reason  . I mean its just another way for corporate america to push uneeded and pointless objects on ppl and drain them of there hard earned money. It's defenatily my least favorite holiday to me its just another day and even talking about it now goes against my values.

[Darkling]

Valentine's day is a day to make money. That's all. No way in hell will I ever pay $1000-5000 for a piece of rock that actually isn't too rare. If it were so damn rare to be so expensive, why is there so much of it? And roses? Buy your own bush. Free roses every year. If she makes you angry, leave the thorns on when you pick them off the bush.

Lingerie. Never. That's like telling her to say 'See this on me? Paint the bedroom today, and...' Uh-uh. She can buy her own lingerie. And what woman in her right mind will give you her actual sizes (it's like the age thing)?

Buy a $10 gift card from Wal-mart and call it a day if she really wants something.

I have my valentine. My computer. It's always there for me. I want it to be quiet, I turn it off. Don't like what it is doing to me? I push the reset button. It won't really complain to me unless it has some sort of internal error. Easy fix, reformat. No need to feed it, give it a drink, or anything. How much better can it get?

[un4]

"Singles Awareness Day."

Enough said?

[Muridin]

and not only is corporate america spreading its disease and its own damn country, its spreading into my great nation...

so i agree with arc whole heartedly, and TB ... your like philosopher in man-computer relationships =p

[Shadowwolf]

Its not corporate America, its plain old Corporations be they here, there, anywhere in the world, they are all the same, whatever can be done to make money and exploit for further revenue interest, do it. =)

A large volume of business is in Asia and Europe as well. The diamond industry is controlled by a European company, not a U.S. The U.S gets target a lot for "western idealism and corruption" because what goes on over here is always highlighted and bragged about but it takes place in other parts of the world as well just as much. American mentality and attitude is always bigger = better and most of this country has no sense of what the word humble means so we brag to the rest of the world our exploits regularly. =)