Valentine's Day object of love - and scorn

EUGENE, Ore. - Whether or not “love is in the air” on Valentine’s Day is apparently up for serious debate. 

The University of Oregon campus was alive with red and pink pastries, flowers and balloons Monday, but not everyone in the University community was necessarily feeling the love. 

Indeed, while some students voiced their support for the holiday and various couples walked hand-in-hand through campus, other individuals openly expressed doubts, frustrations, and contempt. 

“For the last two months, we’ve been bombarded by all of this hearts and red and pink, and it’s kind of obnoxious,” remarked one student.  “I guess it’s the commercialization of Valentine’s Day that has really affected me the most.” 

This student wasn’t alone. The most popular complaint about Valentine’s Day among University students was that the holiday is overly commercialized and only serves to drive corporate profits. 

The common moniker used to scorn Valentine’s is the label of “Hallmark Holiday.”
 
Not all of the criticism of the holiday was inherently negative, however. 

Many students maintain that Valentine’s Day is unnecessary; they assert that if one is in a relationship, they ought to commit random acts of kindness and appreciate their partner every single day. 

As one student put it, “Three hundred and sixty five days a year should be dedicated to love.” 

A novel concept.