By Ryan Fortune
VALENTINE’S Day, like its fellow seasonal spectacles — Christmas, New Year’s, Easter and, in the US, the Fourth of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving — is not a celebration of love or romance but rather an orchestrated ritual of consumerism. It is a meticulously choreographed event designed to prop up the capitalist economy by convincing us that our affections can be quantified in trinkets, chocolates, flowers, and overpriced dinners. This annual charade has little to do with genuine human connection and everything to do with creating artificial demand for products we neither need nor truly desire.
Indoctrination into this capitalist carnival begins early. Civvies days at schools transform into opportunities for students to buy heart-shaped stickers, sweets and cards to exchange with their peers. Teachers encourage participation under the guise of fostering friendship and kindness, yet the underlying message is clear: love must be expressed through material tokens. By the time these kids grow into young adults, the stakes have risen exponentially. Social media platforms buzz with ads for luxury watches, designer handbags and romantic getaways, all marketed as essential components of modern courtship.
Mainstream media exacerbates the problem, turning Valentine’s Day into a month-long extravaganza of hype. Magazines bombard readers with articles titled “10 Perfect Gifts Your Partner Will Love” or “Romantic Dinner Ideas Under R500.” Television shows feature couples arguing over whether one partner’s gift was grand enough, while movies portray elaborate declarations of love complete with fireworks and flash mobs. In this hyperbolic landscape, real emotions become secondary to spectacle, reducing relationships to transactions where value is measured in money spent rather than time invested.
The commercialisation doesn't end there. Restaurants hike prices on February 14th, offering so-called “special menus” that cost twice as much as usual. Florists jack up their prices, knowing consumers will pay exorbitant sums to avoid appearing unromantic. Jewellers capitalise on the occasion, pushing engagement rings and diamond necklaces as symbols of eternal devotion. Meanwhile, corporations rake in billions, laughing all the way to the bank at how effectively they're able to manipulate public sentiment.
And what does any of this have to do with actual love? Absolutely nothing. Real love doesn’t require expensive gifts or ostentatious displays. It thrives on mutual respect, understanding and shared experiences, not fleeting moments bought with credit cards. Meanwhile, pressing global issues that desperately demand our attention continue being ignored.
Consider the world beyond the glittering facades of the shopping malls. Wars rage unchecked in Ukraine, Occupied Palestine, Congo DRC and Sudan, displacing millions and leaving countless dead or injured. Forced migration continues to escalate as people flee conflict zones only to face hostility and xenophobia in supposedly safer lands. Climate change accelerates, threatening ecosystems and livelihoods across the planet, while governments dither and corporate interests obstruct meaningful action. Poverty deepens as wealth concentrates in fewer hands, exacerbated by rapid technological advancements that render entire industries obsolete overnight. Social media fuels mass alienation, fragmenting communities and eroding trust among individuals. And now, under the new Musk-Trump administration in the United States, foreign aid programmes critical to alleviating global suffering face devastating cuts, further entrenching inequality worldwide.
In light of these realities, how can anyone justify spending hundreds - or thousands - of rands on meaningless gestures when so many lack access to basic necessities such as food, clean water, shelter, and healthcare? How can we celebrate a holiday rooted in superficiality while ignoring the profound injustices plaguing humanity? To do so is not merely irresponsible; it is morally bankrupt.
Valentine’s Day serves as just one more example of how modern society prioritises profit over progress. Holidays once imbued with cultural significance have been hollowed out and repackaged as marketing opportunities. They distract us from confronting systemic problems, lulling us into complacency with promises of happiness wrapped in shiny paper and tied with ribbon. But no amount of chocolate hearts or teddy bears can fill the void left by neglecting the needs of our fellow human beings.
Perhaps it’s time to dismantle this delusional construct entirely. Instead of celebrating fabricated festivals centered around consumption, maybe we should redirect our energies toward addressing the crises facing our world today. Imagine if the resources wasted on Valentine’s Day were instead channelled into initiatives combating climate change, supporting refugees, or improving education systems globally.
What if, instead of buying unnecessary gifts, we volunteered our time, donated to worthy causes, or simply reached out to those in need?
If we want to honour love authentically, let's stop participating in these capitalist pantomimes and start working together to build a more just and equitable world. Only then can we hope to create lasting bonds capable of transcending the shallow distractions peddled by the marketplace. Let’s leave behind the empty promises of Valentine’s Day and embrace the challenging yet rewarding task of making every day count, not just for ourselves, but for everyone.
- Ryan Fortune is an AI Implementation Consultant. He can be contacted via his website: https://payhip.com/ryanfortuineinc