"Madame, bear in mind That princes govern all things--save the wind." -Victor Hugo, The Infanta's Rose

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Love, and other forms of temporary insanity

Today is the day many people have been waiting for all year: the day to tell their dearly beloved sweethearts how much they mean to them and how important they are, and buy them presents, candy and/or flowers. They might also get a cheap card for their husband or wife from Walgreens while they're at it.

Yes, today is the favorite holiday of cynics (who nearly always refer to Valentine's Day as "V.D."), those who believe in their hearts that the significance of the day is way overblown, hyped beyond all common-sense reality by a greedy floral and greeting-card industry who are trying to turn every calendar event (St. Patrick's day? Arbor Day, anyone? Bueller? Anyone?) into in excuse to purchase cards and gifts. These skeptics are quick to point out that Valentine's Day is the only holiday that features a weapon-wielding angel as a mascot, and will make comments such as:

"Valentines day is just another stupid holiday created by the manufacturing companies in compliance with jewelry, candy, and cards. They make you feel obliged to get something for the ones you love. PUH LEZZE! It's just another corrupt system using guilt on the people."

or

"I hate Valentine's Day with a passion. I would even go so far as to say that we should dig up Saint Valentine and martyr him all over again just for the fun of it."

Of course, it could be argued that these are simply the bitter words of sad, lonely, twisted souls who have failed in their relationships due to their own selfishness, and want to ruin the holiday for everyone else. Or, they might possibly have been subjected to this example of romance run amok, which cannot be watched for more than thirty seconds without one wanting to claw out their own eyeballs.

Another possibility could be that they have seen any of numerous recent items in the news which would tend to discourage even the most optimistic of romantics. For example, consider this story from Germany involving a woman who is suing a web site at which she auctioned herself off to the highest bidder for sex. Six men were "winners" of the contest, and one got her pregnant. Unfortunately, she didn't bother to get any of their names, so she's suing the site's operator for their identities so she can force the men to take paternity tests.

Meanwhile, in Seoul, South Korea, mobile phone provider KTF is offering their customers a service called the "Love Detector" which analyzes the voice patterns of the person you're speaking to, and displays a "love meter" bar on the screen of your handset during the call. "We created this service because we thought people would want to know what others were feeling about them," said Ahn Hee-jung, a KTF official. After the call is finished, the user receives an analysis of the conversation that breaks down the amount of affection, surprise, concentration and honesty of the other speaker.

In Charleston SC, WKLC-FM, also known as "Rock 105", is observing the holiday with a special Valentine's Day contest (as radio stations often do). The prize? A free divorce. The winner's name will be drawn at random from all entries, and Charleston lawyer Rusty Webb will handle the actual filing. "Sure we can give away concert tickets, and we do," said station Program Director Jay Nunley. "That's going to make you happy for a little while. This is the chance to make someone happy for the rest of their life."

Finally, if you happen to be one of those jaded, cynical, Anti-Valentine type of folks, I've got just the perfect job for you: UK Honey Traps, a private detective service based in Worcestershire in the heart of England, is looking for new recruits. Your work will take you to nightclubs and bars, where you'll be looking to strike up conversations, flirt, give out your phone number, and try to make future dates. The hitch is, you'll be targeting the husbands or wives of clients who pay you to test the loyalty of their partners, and will document the entire shameful affair for the client with hidden cameras and audio recorders. According to the web site, the agency is looking for "confident, bubbly, outgoing men and women with an ability to think on their feet." Becoming a honey trapper demands reliability, honesty and accuracy, it says, and because most of the trapping takes place outside office hours, it can offer "an ideal second career."

Happy Valentine's Day!

4 Comments:

  • At 2/15/2008 04:50:00 PM, Blogger Synchronicity said…

    happy belated valentine's day to you! i guess people don't get as worked up over st. patty's day huh?

     
  • At 2/15/2008 09:20:00 PM, Blogger Sphincter said…

    That's all very bizarre!

     
  • At 2/17/2008 01:58:00 PM, Blogger Canbush said…

    I live in Worcestershire - I await my encounter with interest.

     
  • At 2/17/2008 03:21:00 PM, Blogger Mr. Toast said…

    I wish you lots of luck there, Canbush. :-) Thanks for stopping by my blog, BTW -- always nice to see a new reader.

    One strategy for dealing with "honey trappers" might be the same that spies use when someone gets the drop on them: find out what they're being paid, and offer to double it.

     

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