ooo LOVE the quote.

Happy V-day to everyone!

Awesome. I need to remember this quote if I ever get married. It would be a nice change-up from that Corinthians verse I seem to hear at every wedding that's at least somewhat Christian.

What a marvelous quote. Happy V-Day everyone!

There's an Emma Goldman quote for every occasion. She's my shero and I wanna be just like her-- except I'll prolly be deported to Kazakhstan in a secret airplane instead of Petrograd on the Buford with 250+ radicals.

Is anyone else here opposed to Valentines day? I am all for the stop violence against women part of it as of late, but the traditional love-day seems awfully forced to me. I think if you are in a relationship, every day should be valentines. If not, you don't really need a national day to rub in in your face that you are supposed to be in love today. Bah-humbug.

I love feministing and I love Emma Goldman! I highly recommend her autobiography, Living My Life.

I do hate valentine's day (the hallmark holiday) but I do love how it's growing into V-day. And I love the clearance sales on candy on Feb. 15th.

After the barage of icky valentines ads, etc. that have been out the past few weeks I'm rather tired of being told that as a woman my top priorities in life must be flowers and jewelry. Even in my local paper today there was a big editorial about how every "girl" loooooves flowers! (this was right next to a guest editorial about the sin of abortion and contraception). Personally, I've found that getting flowers from a guy usually means he didn't feel like finding a gift that is thoughtful or personalized. Also, buying chocolates online at the last minute or picking up a heart-shaped box of candy from Wal-Mart doesn't bode well for any relationship unless your standards are lower than Lori Gottlieb's.

Marissa: I totally agree! About the only thing this holiday is good for is making me realize how nice it is to have single friends, a boyfriend who also doesn't celebrate v-day, and Feministing for when I need to detox from all this valentine's crap!

Yes, uhg, thank you for bringing that up speedysue. I HATE how valentines day has become this excuse for advertisements to reinforce the gold-digger woman stereotype. Gross. What a bunch of crap.

Not like Valentines Day?? What??

I love having a partner who doesn't celebrate christmas or thanksgiving with me (since we're not christians and thanksgiving is the biggest load of racist crap ever)

But valentines day?? Thats the one that makes sense!

Celebrate LOVE, where ever you got it! I asked my mom to be my valentine today-

for my present to my boyfriend i made a bean-heart valentine. Yup, a wooden frame with beans glued on make a multicolored heart.
last year i found a piece of neat metal flattened and rusty on the road and collaged hearts and caligraphy initials on it for him.

this is about love, not buying stuff! later

love ya all- peace

I agree with heather

I know that the overly commercialized, buybuybuybuy aspect of valentine's day is silly... clearly i dont need jewelry and flowers and candy just to prove you love me. however, my boyfriend (who is also a feminist :D ) and I like to celebrate it anyway. We love each other very much...and will often get each other little gifts here and there, if we see something we think the other one would like, and so on. We don't need valentines day as an excuse, we would do it anyway...but its just nice to do. We get each other chocolate (lindt, mmmm) cuz we both love it... and we'll get each other a small gift, but for the most part we make each other stuff (sort of like heathersf said). I find it to be fun...and I don't have to succumb to the consumerism side of it. It is what you make it.

Just popping in to say that I love the Emma Goldman quote. I learned about her in history class a few months ago, and she was officially badass.

Just popping in to say that I love the Emma Goldman quote. I learned about her in history class a few months ago, and she was officially badass.

I'm also reminded of this great article:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/sami_moubayed/2008/02/damascus_needs_lovers.html

:)

I also love Emma Goldman AND feministing. Actually, when people ask me I like to tell them I was named after Emma Goldman, even though that's not true.

"Personally, I've found that getting flowers from a guy usually means he didn't feel like finding a gift that is thoughtful or personalized.

Why? Don't you like flowers? Did you tell him flowers do nothing for you and he got them anyway?

"Also, buying chocolates online at the last minute or picking up a heart-shaped box of candy from Wal-Mart doesn't bode well for any relationship unless your standards are lower than Lori Gottlieb's.

Well, of course. So what if his whole calendar is filled in with stuff like breaking his back in the yard Saturday after Saturday digging huge fucking holes for fruit trees and an irrigation system; or getting up every goddamned day whether he feels like it or not to provide the income that feeds, shelters, educates and entertains the wife and kids; if a guy has to resort to picking up the V-Day gift on the way home from WORK -- if he can't do all that and still manage his schedule to fit in an extra shopping trip to get that secret special surprise (which he had goddamned better tell his wife about in excruciating detail in advance, lest she suspect his absence to be stepping out with that hottie in Accounts Payable) -- then of course he's a worthless unromantic fuck.

Haqppy fucking V-day, lady.

The Emma Goldman quote is exquisite, by the way.

"I think if you are in a relationship, every day should be valentines."

Under that logic, might as well cancel the birthday party and the anniversary dinner date, too. Who needs a special day for those, when you are supposed to be cherished all year long?