Us Single People Need To Stop Hating On Valentine’s Day So Much
Every year on February 14th, millions of people get together with their significant other to celebrate love, and the world goes along with it: red hearts everywhere, lots of chocolates around, flowers being delivered in abundance, and singing telegrams all around.
However, many single people have made it their prerogative to hate the holiday.
When Did We All Become Such Haters?
Obviously, my initial celebrations of Valentine's Day went down just like everyone else's: bringing little cards and treats and giving them out to everyone in my class.
The day was something to look forward to at school because it meant eating an unreasonable amount of candy and not having to do any real learning during the afternoon of the school day.
I Guess The Hate Didn't Start Until I Was A Teenager
When I reached my teenage years, I started to see the rise of "anti-Valentines day" parties and general hate towards the holiday.
While the couples would surprise each other with gifts at their lockers, many people made just as much of an effort to roll their eyes and hate the holiday. It was almost a trend to be hateful toward the holiday, and I just went along with the sentiment.
I'm Not Going To Lie: I've Been A Hater
Over my late teens and 20s as someone who has mostly been single, I have attended a wide array of "Anti-Valentine's Day" events and "Gal-entine's Day" parties, all of which exist in opposition to the original holiday.
I've openly mocked the grand romantic gestures I've seen on the day. I've worn all black for the holiday like I was dressing for a funeral. I've been that exasperated voice in a room full of happy couples.
These Days, Cynicism Is The Norm
I was spending way too much time on Tik Tok—a vital part of my daily routine—when I stumbled across a young woman arguing that celebrating Valentine's Day with a significant other is pretty tacky and embarrassing. The video had tens of thousands of likes.
And it was at this moment that it occurred to me that the hater behavior had officially gone too far.
I've Been Thinking About Cynicism A Lot
Over the past decade or so, internet culture and social media have made it all too normalized and easy to hate on things. If you decide you dislike something or someone, there are thousands of people who feel the same way.
We've almost made it the norm to mock people's naïveté or joy, emphasizing being "realistic" or picking apart the reasons behind their happiness.
Really, What Do You Gain From It?
It was a few years ago when I started to feel annoyed by the persistent negativity that existed in so many online and real-life spaces. People wanted to criticize things and pick them apart almost for sport.
The thing is that none of those conversations ever left me feeling better about anything. If anything, they just left me more closed-in and miserable.
When We Break It Down, Why Are We So Bitter?
I get that, as a single person, it can get overwhelming and frustrating to have the ideals of love shoved into your face, but does that have anything to do with the holiday or the way we feel about ourselves?
Hating Valentine's Day, in my opinion, says less about the holiday itself and more about the type of misery someone personally feels about being single.
In A World Full Of Hate, Being Passionate And Joyful Is A Radical Act
Truly, we live in a society that loves to mock people's interests and joy, so actively leaning into the things you love and sharing them out in the open honestly is kind of radical.
It's difficult to look at all the people and things who want to tear you down and diminish your joy and say: hey, I actually am really happy celebrating this thing you all hate so much.
I Mean, What Did Valentine's Day Ever Do To Me?
I can completely understand that you might not want to celebrate Valentine's Day as someone who is single, but it doesn't make any sense to hate on people who do love it.
The holiday itself is a pretty wholesome celebration of being in love and all that it entails, and why shouldn't we let people be overwhelmingly gooey and romantic for a day?
If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say, Don't Say Anything At All
At the end of the day, there's really nothing to gain from being cynical or rude about Valentine's Day, and I am imploring all single people to stop hating on the holiday and the people who love it.
You can let people have their fun, and instead, you can do whatever you like on V-Day: read books, watch Netflix, or have a glass of wine with friends.
