> The link down there sort of explains why it might be named after St. Valentine. But yeah, it's mostly just a day for marketing. Sort of like Halloween, only you can buy candy for yourself on that day.

And then there's the much-maligned "not being cynical" option, but I guess that's no fun. People who spaz on Valentine's Day don't do so because society has conditioned them to, they do so because it's just the way they are. Some people just freak out about things that seem silly to other people. Similarly, the people who sit around and sulk are the ones who take whatever excuse they get to play pity-party. That's just the way some people are.

Is that the way it would be in a perfect world? Wouldn't know. Never seen one. But I rather suspect that for every person who has a panic attack or a self pity jamboree on Valentine's Day, there's at least one person who uses it as a time to be close to people who really matter. An excuse, perhaps, for bookkeeping and good financial sense to take the day off in favour of a nice romantic dinner and cocktails and dancing and whatever else comes to mind.

Or we can be cynical and say that no good will come of it, this is just another tool those Greedy Heartless Corporations (tm) use to bilk the world out of... whatever it is they're bilking the world out of. I guess whatever floats your boat. I, for one, would rather treat it as a day of happiness and friendship and love than throw some juvenile protest about how "fake" and "commercial" it is. But maybe I'm just the only person with sense on the entire planet.