I am doing a story for my school newspaper detailing the history of Valentine's Day. I used the sticky post about the history and Wikipedia's very thorough page about the "holiday", as well as some other sources, for the bulk of the story. I found out some interesting stuff about the "holiday", especially how it's grown in the 20th century.

It's become a holiday of consumer goods basically. The diamond industry was facing some hard times in the 80s and declared Valentine's Day a good time to buy jewelry. This is why you see those cheesy "Every kiss begins with Kay!" commercials around this time every year...thanks a LOT for that, diamond industry.

In Asia, it's all different, though. In Japan and Korea, Valentine's Day is actually a day for women to give men chocolate. (It's basically a marketing holiday.) Because of etiquette rules, the giving of chocolate to men has become an obligation for many women. They even give chocolate to their co-workers. Sometimes, that costs a ton of money. A month later, on White Day, men are supposed to return the favor, generally with white chocolate. Men don't have to do obligation chocolate, though, they can just give chocolate to their girlfriends or wives. (White chocolate is such a ripoff! Yucch!)

There are other traditions, too, but no matter what, it's really all the same...just different names and specifications.

What an amazing discovery. Speaking for myself, and hopefully not just myself, I don't need the Wikipedia to inform me that Valentine's Day is a consumer field day. You can't view any form of media in or around February without being sold a slogan from a jewelry store. This is the cliche wrong perspective on the every holiday in America. Because its not about you. Its about everyone close to you. Valentine's Day, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day; these are all cash cows for greeting card companies, jewelry stores, and florists. Why should you take the marketer's perspective? View these holidays as reminders, and easy ones too, that you need to extend your love and your effort to your loved ones. Now aside from arts and crafts, "effort" translates into spending money on someone you love. If you are so concerned about not being a consumer pawn, than buy from an obscure retailer. But realize that as you may care where you buy from, or if you buy at all (anti-Valentine's Day idiot), the person who receives your gift/effort or receives nothing definitely cares. View these days as reminders to avoid the meniality of the day-to-day affections you share, and as opportunities to do the unexpected. This forum is absurd. And I'm still typing.

I think the diamond industry is in a perpetual state of worry. There are tons of diamonds in the earth, the only reason they cost so much is because they keep such a tight reign on the market. Stupid diamonds. They don't even last for ever. Graphite is the most stable form of carbon.