• the217
• Life
• Editor's Note

The Grammys! Valentine’s Day! What an exciting week ... of cynicism it has been! So much in fact that I’m beginning to miss those elementary school Valentine’s Day parties when we got to cut hearts out of construction paper and eat lots of candy. Why is Valentine’s Day such a let down for people these days? Why were the Grammys so un-cool? And why let either ruin the cheerfulness of the abnormally warm weather?

The consensus seems to be that the Grammys/Valentine’s Day is a fake event/holiday that is put together to increase the sales of albums/Hallmark cards while marginalizing poor underground indie rockers/singles. The parallels are overwhelming and so is the pessimism.

And this may be hypocritical coming from a guy who doesn’t watch the Grammys (or the Oscars) and doesn’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day (or Halloween). But why should either occasion be condemned? I mean, I agree that the Grammy Foundation confuses quality music with the Billboard top 40 music charts. I also could understand how a holiday for people in love can make a lonely soul lonely like a holiday for rich people could make a poor man feel poorer.

But I don’t think these kind of celebrations are for the haves to stick their tongues out at the have nots.

Instead, maybe the Grammys should be the time to sit at the edge of your seat hoping that potential terrorists don’t give birth dancing onstage or that Radiohead would finally switch out Phil Selway for the USC Marching Band. It’s just entertainment after all. And maybe Valentine’s Day should just be about swapping Winnie the Pooh and Spongebob Valentine’s Day cards with your friends while all the Hershey’s Kisses you got melt in your pockets.

So just to make things clear; for next year, instead of interrupting our first 60 degree, sunny day of the year with pessimism and apathy over these kinds of things, just change the channel if you can’t stand another acoustic duet with Chris Martin and Jay-Z. And rather than thinking of all the places you can’t go on Valentine’s Day without a date, go out and celebrate being single at Singleton Night at 88 Broadway or Memphis on Main (see here for more details).