Valentine: Just Another Exploitative Tool of Capitalism

 By Abhulimen Jonathan

You may be surprised by the headline of this article. Rest assured, you read it precisely. I know you may be wondering if the writer even comprehends what he's stating at all. Oh, yes, he does understand his argument fully. You might also be thinking if this guy had a traumatic romantic experience that made him take such a quite controversial stance. No one did, my dear. And guess what?? You've already made your assumptions without knowing and understanding my point of view. But we are humans, we often err. My viewpoint may counter your expectations but first of all, keep an open mind to understand what I'm about to tell you.

Valentine’s Day has become a hallmark celebration of love and romance in many parts of the world today. Every February 14th, there's so much pressure to celebrate Valentine's Day. But here's the thing - when you peel back the layer of chocolate hearts and flower bouquets, what's revealed is a cold, calculated business strategy to commodify our emotions. It is just an insidious tool of capitalism that commodifies love and exploits emotions for profit.

Don't get me wrong - expressing love is beautiful. But real love doesn't cost a thing. As one paper I read points out, genuine displays of devotion involve little acts of care, intimacy and affection every day. Valentine's Day distorts love into something measurable only by extravagant gifts and indulgences.

I understand that you may be thinking that we've literally embraced certain aspects of the Western culture, and may likely not see issues with celebrating that day with someone you love and cherish in the way you've envisioned. My dear, this is not a sound recording but bring your ear - YOU ARE BEING EXPLOITED BY THE SYSTEM.

Personally, I do not fancy the so-called "special day", not because I dislike it, but due to the feeling that I should not have to wait till that specific time of the year to show people how much I love and cherish them. For you to understand my perspective, you've got to look at the sides of the issue and take a critical stance.

We've already been used to seeing our student WhatsApp groups being bombarded with Valentine's Day promotions, which even commence weeks ahead of February 14th, urging you, a potential consumer to express your love through lavish gifts and indulgences. My dear, that's consumerism. As Munir, a 400-level Political Science student would put it, Valentine is an unimaginative consumerist-oriented and entirely arbitrary, manipulative and shallow interpretation of a romance day.

I do not blame people who are into the business because they unconsciously share the dominant ideology. These people have began presenting you with mouthwatering special packages that cost 5 figures. They display ads that don't just portray the products but promise happiness, fulfillment, and everlasting love attainable through lavish purchases. They feed you with the narrative that money buys love and romance and that the size of your gift shows how much you care. 

Worse still, Valentine's Day also targets those feeling isolated or unloved. Marketers play on loneliness and insecurity, persuading people to buy gifts for themselves that they deserve. The self-love industry flourishes on those who feel inadequate or uncoupled. Rather than challenge why people feel unfulfilled, their emotions are exploited to boost profits. 

Beyond being manipulative, Valentine's Day reinforces regressive gender roles and expectations. It gives men an obligation to impress women with extravagant dates, dinners, gifts and other conventional romancing and women on the other hand, are conditioned to expect such treatment as part of the Valentine's Day bargain. Everyone seemingly has a role to fill in this capitalistic play.

Before succumbing to the pressures of this exploitative day, ask yourself what does love truly mean to you? Capitalism would have you believe it's found in a heart-shaped box but real love is priceless.

A Digressive conclusion: Wetin concern you as a student with love. Go focus on mama and papa goals.