The Valentine's Day Edition

"This morning I woke up
From a deep unquiet sleep
With ashtray clothes
And Miss Lonelyheart's pen"
—Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, "Lost Weekend"

I've never had a romantic Valentine's Day. I've only had one significant relationship in my life, and that was with a CPA. While I loved him and love him still, we never had a memorable Valentine's together. That is, I literally cannot remember anything we ever did for the holiday.

As such, you might think I despise this day like so many other single people, but to be entirely honest, I've never really cared about it at all. Never having been particularly lucky in love, I think a syrupy, gushing, over-the-top Valentine's Day would just make me puke, even if it were with someone I love. I've been feeling a little low this year, though I think that I'm in a lonely phase in general, rather than being done in by the holiday. Also, I've been hitting the booze prettly hard since the beginning of the month, which is why I haven't been able to completely shake the cold I've had for a couple of weeks now and why I've been stalled in my book writing efforts.

Of course, considering all of the people in Iraq and around the world whose lives and families and bodies are being blown to pieces, the ambivalent mooning of a fat American isn't particularly significant. However, though I accept this as a truth, it doesn't make me feel any better.

"Papers in the roadside tell of suffering and grief
Fear today forgot tomorrow beside the news of holy war and holy need
Ours is just a little sorrowed talk, just blown away"
—Duran Duran, "Ordinary World"

The Snicker Ad Blowup

Gay commentator Wayne Besen joined the outcry against the Snicker's Super Bowl ad in his blog. To be honest, I feel as if homosexuals have "arrived" as a minority because we can get ourselves into an uproar over something so pointless. Anyway, I posted a comment to his blog, so I might as well post it here as well:

The furor over this kind of bugs me, particularly the calls for boycotts, et al. The hypersensitive victim mentality adopted by a lot of minorities is nothing more than the knee-jerk reaction of the undiscerning. Something can be silly and ignorant (or in this case, pathetically anachronistic) without being an attack, and minorities always need to pick their battles. You will never find something in the mainstream media that doesn't offend someone somewhere. I truly believe that when you create an atmosphere where everyone is so afraid of saying something offensive, you stifle honest discourse which would actully further a group's cause. Honest discourse involves people presenting conflicting views and seeking common ground, not simply dining on the dictated pabulum. Save your righteous wings for higher things.