Consumerism and gifting and selling and marketing

I had a little exchange with friends around Valentine's Day. While here you find two screen-shots I saw some others also with similar updates.

I shudder to think of writing on such a topic. That's why perhaps it took me days to write this. But am writing nonetheless. For, if attempted in all earnestness, it can almost turn into a book. One tour of cultural-philosophical-ontological history :). Besides, I am not necessarily equipped with all the matter. Anyway, here are a few bits. Can't deny that there's a connection which we all feel with such sentiments whenever expressed.

Can things advertised as gifts or celebration of love/Valentine's Day be touted just as "the same old thing being labelled as 'love' and getting sold!"? 

And can Valentine's Day just be called "Happy unimaginative consumerist oriented and entirely manipulative shallow interpretation of romance day"?

The words in inverted commas in both the questions seem to convey that 'marketing' means 'new'. And there seems to be a rather derogatory view of 'selling'. As if it's mere business. It's sheer manipulation.

One point is that the expression of 'love' needn't necessarily be words and acts like hugs and kisses. The expression of 'love' can just as easily be a new act like making coffee for your beloved when you've never done that earlier. Or may be, the expression of 'love' can just as easily be an object, which will bring on his/her face a smile and fulfill some small little desire, if there was any, expressed or unexpressed.

Acts and objects both require energy. On most occasions, both cost. For some acts though, the math of costing is yet not possible, for good or for bad. For objects, if you are making them yourself, you'll spend money, or energy or time for which eventually you'll pay in kind. Or if you are buying or arranging an act, surely you'll spend money.

Romance and love wouldn't be romance and love, if sellers and marketers are expected to set it all up for you. There are some things money can't buy. Just aid. They can at best give you options or create options, choice is still yours and imbuing your choice with meaning depends on the strength of your feeling. If you want to do something really different or unique, why not develop a skill to do it yourself? Or why not think of a plan which makes the day different? Why depend on just marketers/sellers to do it all for you? And if you aren't depending on marketers/sellers, why be so cynical/critical of what they are doing!

From a seller's/marketer's point-of-view, there are numerous people in this country who've lived in conditions that, forget buying an object or indulging in any action, they've perhaps not been able to feel any act of love (romantic or otherwise) towards them. Perhaps days meant for overt celebration like Valentine's Day opens up just those occasions to feel that feeling. And a simple thing like gifting a pair of earrings (for example, since we retail that) becomes a memorable event. There need to be people who offer those simple beautiful things/events too.

There are numerous first timers and numerous things which these numerous people will do for the first time. In their capacities, they might not have the skill to do things on their own. A lot of marketers and sellers, and a lot of marketing and selling are for those people. And I can tell you, there are numerous couples, married and unmarried, among whom gifting a pair of earrings hasn't happened yet :).

Besides, at Mississippi we kept some lovely greeting cards for people gifting their Valentines. Now you would say, what's the great shake in that. There are people who are gifting like this for the first time. For them, it's special. Non-manipulative. Little but nice.

I, for one, haven't yet done many simple things/acts over the years. But gradually, on occasions, am doing those little things in my life and celebrating. Yeah, if you've done all the little things possible to express or convey your love and now want a great grand experience, any marketer will charge. Yes, you can yourself definitely plan little small things in a sequence such that in totality it becomes a grand celebration. But even that costs.

If marketers and sellers aren't doing anything worthwhile, think of what it could be and enter the arena. You might get all the mission and money, and create all the new and imaginative and meaningful stuff/experiences in the world.