The magical month of February has dawned upon us again. Coronavirus isn’t the only sickness in the air this time of year. Preparations for the world’s biggest scam have been underway since 2020 dawned. Today, misty-eyed couples will undoubtedly gather in the millions to celebrate each other, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, unaware that they have fallen prey to the largest propaganda scheme in history.

In the American economy alone, the frenzied rush to purchase gifts for significant others is expected to generate a massive 21 billion US dollars – that’s over thrice the GDP of Malawi. February 14th marks the annual massacre of millions of men’s savings; the average man spends $229.54 on Valentine’s gifts. It evolved as a day to celebrate the other half of your relationship, which despite being a novel sentiment is inherently flawed (for reasons that I will discuss later on) but is now, unquestionably an excuse for business owners to advertise their products and see some green. It is understandable why the integrity of the festival’s initial foundations has been diluted.

Over time, materialism’s significance in human lives has increased tenfold. What used to be a festival that entailed spending time with one’s partners now involves endless, stressful hunting for gifts (usually expensive) to appease one’s partner.

The pressure to entertain significant others makes V-Day unnecessarily strenuous. There has been increased speculation that this pressure is more detrimental than beneficial to your relationship’s health. This is because most people have come to expect the “perfect evening”, which involves being treated to exquisite dinners (the average expenditure on dinner alone is $170.53) and lovely gifts. Seldom are these expectations ever met, which may lead to dissatisfaction. One’s dissatisfaction may be amplified after seeing pictures of other couples’ evenings on social media – this comparison with other relationships never ends well. In fact, a study that monitored Facebook breakup statuses found that they increased following the evening of the scam.

Well over 50 years ago, the day my grandparents got married, my grandfather said to my grandmother, “Chess is my first wife, you are my second.”. Despite this, they’ve been happily married several times longer than most of Hollywood’s A-list couples, who for the record, were hailed to be perfect matches. Being his direct descendant, the romance of Valentine’s Day is likely lost on me. However, isn’t giving your partner something, without the transaction being mandated by an event more heartfelt? To properly express how much you appreciate your partner, make small gestures of affection on a more regular basis. This is far healthier for your relationship than spewing your love and warmth on an annual basis, simultaneously being exploited by the executives who leech off your purchases.

Despite being a day centered around romance, the festival is alleged to have some twisted origins. One such origin story unfolds like this – around the same time as Valentine’s Day is celebrated today, the ancient Romans celebrated the fertility festival of Lupercalia, in which men sacrificed a goat and a dog and whipped women with the hides of those dead animals to try and increase their fertility. Considering this information, the whole situation seems rather grim.

This article is sure to stick out like a sore thumb among the other works that celebrate V-Day. Although it may seem like the work of a romantically frustrated teenager, I promise you I am thinking rationally. All that most people succeed in doing on February 14th is shattering their wallets, confidence, and hearts, partaking in an event that possibly necessitated inhumane treatment of women and being swindled by wealthy executives whose own wives have long since left them. To the couples reading this that have plans for the 14th, know your relationship is unlikely to last long, but have fun anyway.

-Keshava Navale IB1-D