As a proof of the end times… are there any commercials more intellectually and morally offensive on in the USA right now than the stupid Valentine’s Day teddy bear and p.j. commercials?
I could KILL!
"But Father! But Father!" you exclaim. "Don’t turn on the TV! Turn off the commercials!"
I have to turn the TV to see all the bad news once in a while. I turn on the news sometimes in the evening when making supper. Tonight.. melanzane alla parmigiana…. but I digress.
We are, after all, watching the acolytes of The Wun® preside over the destruction of our global economy.
Can the end times be far behind?
Look… I am a man of the world. I understand the need for a little romance in a marriage or in dating.
These moronic commercials portray women as total idiots.
They deepen the distortion of a feast day of the Church!
I mean… how stupid do they think woman are?
I’m just askin’
"She’ll think you’ve planned it for weeks!" Smarmy ********
Yah… and she hasn’t seen the commercial… maybe while sitting next to you on the couch.
Am I missing something? Is this just part of a big game?
Yah yah… H.L. Mencken you will now quote. No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
In that case….
FIGHT BACK!
DON’T BE STUUUUUPID!
Yes! I am shouting.
I think it must be a mortal sin to buy this stuff for your gal. I have nothing against teddy bears and p.j.s… but… Really!
I’ll would give you a penance so harsh you would never forget… you’ll never… I mean….
"You did WHAT?!?!?"
*sputter
"But Father! But Father!" you are saying. "The commercials are going to get worse!"
Thanks … for that consolation.
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Father, these commercials are for idiots who have no idea what to get their wives and don’t really care. I share your distress, but take some consolation. The penances that a woman would inflict on her man if he were to give her this gift are going to be more than sufficient!
Well, I already have dumped my TV for the sake of my time and my children…I know the commercials all too well from the radio, which left me explaining a few things to my oldest…Although I don\’t understand the logic of buying something meant to land on the floor anyway…
Well, I already have dumped my TV for the sake of my time and my children…I know the commercials all too well from the radio, which left me explaining a few things to my oldest…Although I don’t understand the logic of buying something meant to land on the floor anyway…
Then back to dinner conversation. We are having white rice, and canned pork-and-beans. The alternative was chili dogs.
Father, it’s good I’m only READING this reaction through the internet. I think if I actually SAW you railing at the TV, you’d probably have me rolling on the floor having an asthma attack from laughter! (FWIW, I agree, jewelry/gift commercials are awful and doubly so near V-day!)
My Agnostic husband read your rant after listening to me cackle with glee.
He agrees with you, Father. Keep it up and he just might come home!
If I ever bought my wife any of that junk she’d immediately be suspicious that I was pre-emtively trying to make amends for some offense which hadn’t yet begun to offend her!
Real men buy their wives INDULGENCES!
(But these commercials aren’t nearly as idiotic as the ones – for everything and anything – that depict men as blithering idiots doddering along in ignorance until they’re enlightened to the benefits of (product/service/goods) by their condescending wife or smartarse kids!)
Are we talking about the Vermont Teddy Bears or something else?
It’s a good thing you had the sound on. Turning the sound off and just watching the commercials can really make you angry. The talking of the commercial distracts the conscious mind of what is really being sold. Sure teddy bears…not really. That’s what they talk about but what is being sold…! Even what seems like a harmless toilet paper commercial is full of women in different frames all getting as gorgeous as possible, with the “new woman, free woman” music and attitude. And it’s for toilet paper! And children pick this stuff up. Oh, I can’t stand it at all. EWTN is on at this house, period, except for a half way decent movie on Hallmark. The messages being sent to children … it’s no wonder the girls and guys are confused by the time they reach puberty. UGH.
Absolutely, Valentine’s Day has turned into a money-making racket. Instead of reflecting on what real love is, it’s become a torrent of kitsch, sentimentality, and bad taste. Don’t get me wrong, my husband and I have been married for 30+ years, so I’m not an embittered spinster. However, given the general tenor of V-Day ads and commercials, I prefer to tune the whole thing out and just go somewhere for a nice meal. We exchange cards as well, and share a box of chocolates. That’s not all our celebration, of course. The most important part of the whole thing is thanking God that we’re still together!
My wife finds the commercials very objectionable.
My daughters want to know what idiot would want or buy the stuff, and if the commercials are satires.
The dachshund, Heidi, growls balefully at them.
The commercials are not beloved among us.
Beato l’uomo che non segue il consiglio degli empi,
non indugia nella via dei peccatori
e non siede in compagnia degli stolti…
Perche’ La troviamo in compagnia degli stolti?
Vorrei fortemente tutti i preti, preti specialmente, buttarebbero la TV. Senza quello, la casa dei cattolici sara’ sempre nella possessione del nemico di Dio. Abbiamo bisogno di buon esempio, gli esempi dei santi…
Per questo preghiamo a Dio!
I can understand you being upset–but in reading this I was actually more upset because of the accuracy of your comment about “The Wun (TM) and his acolytes destroying the world’s economy and just about everythng else they’ve tampered with in just a couple of short weeks.
Hey, Patricia – I’m single – I’m not an embittered spinster.
And I DO NOT CELEBRATE HALLMARK HOLIDAYS.
There. How’s that?
Clearly I don’t watch enough television, because I have NO IDEA what Fr. Z. is ranting about. Probably just as well.
No, they treat the men as idiots. If not the male characters in a skit, then the male consumers.
[Good point!]
Posters on Catholic blogs and forums occasionally allude to anti-Catholicism being the last socially-acceptable bigotry. It’s actually next-to-last. The true last is the portrayal of men (particularly dads and husbands) as buffoons.
I haven’t seen the commercials in question, as I don’t have broadcast TV. I do have hulu, however, and have been subjected to a guy who sprays on some kind of cologne that turns him into a chocolate guy with a bizarre frozen grin. The punchline is something about women loving him as much as chocolate, and there are a couple of very objectionable scenes of women, umm, well. . . Yeah. What on earth are they thinking? If I had any idea what this cologne actually smelled like, it would be a very powerful negative stimulus.
Wow, so much heat over stupid commercials. Never been attracted to any of the expensive junk they peddle for Valentines Day but it doesn’t bother me that other people buy it. None of my friends do either. One of my best friends in college started a tradition with her eventual husband that he would buy her a dozen roses *the day after* Valentines Day because the price of the leftovers had cratered and they were just as nice. The only concession to commercialism is that my spouse buys me a box of chocolates in a heart shaped box every year since we’ve been married. I collect the boxes and have quite a collection now.
The p.j. commercial is very offensive in and of itself (for anyone), but even more offensive is that it runs at all hours(i.e. prime time), and with young children that is unacceptable.
St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle…
I so agree with you Father. I am so glad to hear I am not the only one that hates the commercials – they are soo verry stuppidd… So rest knowing you are not alone!!!
Good news though, love the video with all of your pictures. Really quite beautiful. Actually, I have a great idea – why don’t you go into the commercial business – it could be called “Beauty on Display” and you could show your pictures and include poetry……ahhh…..that would be grand!!!
Well, we can dream can’t we.
Take care, as yes, we are praying for our dear beloved priests.
Funny post!
I’ve only heard them on the radio….until just now…I heard it on the tele that huz is watching upstairs. Yes, dumb for both men and women. I actually don’t expect anything this V-Day. We’re one income, 3 household B-Days in this month. We go out to dinner to celebrate both our Bdays and Vday, while gramma watches the kids.
Father, your reaction is exactly like mine was when I saw those insulting commercials. I laughed out loud as I envisioned your tirade. I’ve heard there are toy plastic guns which shoot little darts at objects, and I’m seriously thinking of purchasing one so that I can vent my frustration and anger when one of these outrageous commercials rears its satanic head. Also included will be the ones for pharmaceutical drugs! Zap!
I don’t know the commercial you are referring to but I bet I can beat you by a mile on offensive (and unconscionable) Valentine’s Day stuff. For sale at my local grocery store in the V-day section is “Love Cuffs”, furry handcuffs…for children. (It says “Ages 3 and up” on the package.) I am not making this up.
I have gotten my wife a Vermont Teddy Bear, although for her birthday, not V-day. It was a BBQ grill cook, complete with chef hat and an apron that read “I love (my wife’s name)” on it. I am always cooking something on the grill (my hamburgers are second to none!). I do agree, though, that the V-Day commercials are really stupid. I noticed how Father Z didn’t mention those jewelry commercials! Apparently, you do not love your lady unless you go into serious debt to buy something that my wife will seldom wear (plus she’d kill me for putting us into debt in the first place!)
And why do people have to call it V-Day? It is St. Valentine’s Day, is it not? A feast day celebrating THREE martyrs of Holy Mother Church?
Of course to me, with a theatre background, V-Day is when the lesbian and progressive women who want to shock the masses throw up those stupid “Vagina Monologues” where they rant and rave about their “bits” for two hours, and then receive accolades in the local papers because they are oh so daring and such liberators of the lowly repressed womenfolk. Ugh.
And yes, about those commericals, I haven’t seen them on television, but I do hear them when I listen to Rush between 12 and 3. Another ugh.
Not sure what is the big deal; Feb 14 is the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, brother bishops.
:)
The beginning of the end is certainly here, after the people chose who they did, and the general state of society and the Church. So God will take away the mammon, as we see happening. But then a solution will be proposed – with a chip. Just watch. God does need to reboot the world to 3.0. The OT was 1.X, current A.D. is 2.X, and the period of peace is 3.X (just a bit of computer parable worked in here).
Hmmm…I haven’t seen the commercial Father mentions. Since I got a DVR, I don’t see commercials at all.
As for The Wun…well, I pray for his conversion.
I tend to celebrate Sts. Cyril and Methodius Day on 14 Feb. Not that I have anything but love for good St. Valentine. It’s just that I’m single, and a librarian–the connection being that St. Cyril served as librarian at Hagia Sophia for a time! That must have been an awesome job!
My biggest pet peeve is diamond commercials. The last thing I would want a man to do is blow lots of money on some clear shiny rock. I’ve never understood the appeal of that. You can find much prettier gemstones for much less money.
Two things:
(1) Someone should notify Hallmark, et al, that St. Valentine was removed from the General Roman Calendar.
(2) Don’t tell Hallmark, et al, that we actually have a saint or two for EVERY day of the year! Could you imagine the crazy things they would come up with?!
I just have to say – all you ladies who like to let the world know how bad your cooking is (i.e. canned pork and beans for dinner) every time Father Z. posts his menu, what’s the deal?
A generation ago a wife would be ashamed to admit such a thing; and she took pride in doing the best she could to be creative and hardworking in the kitchen.
I don’t care how many kids you have or whatever your excuse is; it’s not that hard to put a little effort into cooking — go to http://www.recipes.com, plan out your meals, buy simple ingredients and put some TLC back into your role as wife and mother.
St. Patrick celebrations have become a part of our church even though he’s not our patron saint and there is no significant Irish population in our parish. The nature of the celebration is more secular than religious. I only hope this trend does not mean we will start to see bears and chocolates at the altar as part of our Catholic celebration of St. Valentine’s!
Ooooh, Father, melanzane alla parmigiana! This is one of my favourite dishes – if you have not shown how you do it before, would you consider doing it? Thank you so much!
I’ve often wondered what happened to the portrayal of American women in movies. They used to be grown-up, formidable, sophisticated dames – you can name them – even in comedy roles. That’s why I find b&w movies such a pleasure to watch. They had, in their way, real equality between the sexes, even in their clearly defined roles. Now women seem to have been totally infantilized in films, TV and commericals. Airheads with Donald Duck voices to match. Along with that, the real male heroes who often grappled with deep dilemmas of conscience, have been deflated into cardboard cut-out buffoons and are often secondary to special effects. Did these portrayals of men and women die out along with the old European emigre molvie-makers? Maybe it’s the spirit of the age. Or my age?
I mean… how stupid do they think woman are?
Too stupid to care What Does The Prayer Really Say, obviously.
Oh no!!! You mean, the “Pajama-gram” commercials are back?!?!?
I haven’t had the TV on. It’s a good thing. I wanted to scream at Christmas time the commercial annoyed me so much….and they always played it back to back which made it twice as annoying.
I just have to say – all you ladies who like to let the world know how bad your cooking is (i.e. canned pork and beans for dinner) every time Father Z. posts his menu, what’s the deal?
If women cooked hot dogs and beans while wearing a present from Pajama Gram the world would be a much more tolerable place.
Father, after further review…
It’s not that they think women are that stupid. The idiots behind it think men are that stupid.
Father,
Even WORSE are the commercials during prime time, the evening news, etc., that children hae to watch about Viagra and Cialis. These commercials just do not appear during one commercial during a program, but sometimes in several commercials. Do we want our children seeing commercials or knowing about Erectile Dysfunction? These commercials I find particularly disgusting, showing the lack of discretion and obsession with sex that our media have.
William
Sandy – I would RAISE THE ROOF over such merchandise if I were to come across it anywhere. I’ve protested a local pharmacy’s stocking of “Final Exit,” a book about assisted suicide; that would pale in comparison to the ruckus I’d raise if I saw sex toys for children in a store. That is utterly irresponsible.
Father and all,
Thanks for bringing this to light. We don’t have cable hooked up, so I’m not up on these commercials. We did watch the superbowl and I was pretty disgusted by most of those – trying to derive humor from the sheer stupidity and idiocy of mostly men, and trying to score viewers by the immodesty of women. One commercial even showed a little monster wearing women’s underthings! We were viewing at a friend’s home, so unfortunately didn’t have control of the remote, or we would have switched the channel for all of the ads – just too risky/risque.
Currently a number of people in our diocese of Norwich, CT are taking issue with a Valentine’s day ad in our Diocesan newspaper, The Four County Catholic. The ad is for a local gift shop and includes in big red letters, “When Adoration is Not Enough”. The ad includes products such as loungewear and chocolate body paint! You can view the ad here: http://www.thebowerbird.com/
The editors assure us that the ad was not meant to belittle Eucharistic Adoration, and that chocolate body paint is purely harmless and frivolous. They promised not to run the ad again, but since it is a seasonal ad, that isn’t hard to promise! Of course since the paper also chose to run a CNS news article by Dr. Thomas Melady, where he practically praises Obama for not voting to fund the killing of children overseas until the day after the March for Life. You can read the article here: http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/3188
yes – our paper chose to print an article that made it to the National Catholic reporter. This blogger quotes some of the more nauseating parts of the article: http://catholic-dads.blogspot.com/2009/02/sadly-i-proven-right-sort-of.html
Anyway, I’ve digressed from the Valentine’s Day ad entirely! There is no doubt that the media is a cesspool of impurity and imbecility, and we need to take a stand against it – especially when that media outlet is our own diocesan paper!
Oh – and Happy Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes!
St. Valentinus was a great saint of the church, a noble teenager who gave his life for the Faith. Look what we’ve done to his holy day. Mea culpa, I haven’t been out to see his shine on the Via Flamina (if I can find it).
We are having a Sacred and Immaculate Hearts dinner at home with a bunch of friends. Plenty of food, prayers and discussion of the two devotions. It is an attempt to put the “Saint” back into St. Valentine’s Day.
What is a television?
The VT Teddy Bear ads are icky. The bears themselves are actually quite nice and good (and keep my taxes lower and employ Vermonters). I was given one for ordination actually, and have given them out for the birth of nieces and nephews.
But Fr Z is right. The ads are icky..
Whoa, JSP! You wrote: “I don’t care how many kids you have or whatever your excuse is; it’s not that hard to put a little effort into cooking—go to http://www.recipes.com, plan out your meals, buy simple ingredients and put some TLC back into your role as wife and mother.”
Cut the woman some slack, will you??? You have no idea what time and/or money constraints she may have been under on this particular day. Nor do you have any clue of what she may be cooking on other days. Stop generalizing and attacking someone based on one, off-hand comment!
Many Moms need a break now and then! I cook great pot roast, chicken with wild rice and herbs, and homemade beef stroganoff, but every now and then my kids get boxed mac and cheese! This does not make me nor anyone a bad or careless mother.
“Yea, though I have wild mushroom risotto, but have not love, then I am nothing!”
There must be something truly horrendous about these commercials…
My favorite part of the VTB commercial…. the group of “envious” secretarial pool workers looks longingly at their co-worker receiving a bear with a tatoo on it’s arm, and whines “where can I get a man like that!” to which my answer would be:
In the 8th grade perhaps?
Any man (over the age of 14 perhaps) who would get their girlfriend, let alone a spouse a “Teddy Bear” for Valentines Day, birthday or whatever deserves to be thought of as an absolute #@%-clown.
They make BOTH women and men look stupid. What gets me, though, is the constant drum from stores to get people to buy expensive and/or inappropriate presents for EVERY holiday. The Target circular that says, “Get them their favorite movies!” and shows horror movies or crude comedies at Valentine’s Day or Easter, for instance. Obviously just desperation to sell stuff — any stuff.
Does anyone really buy expensive presents at Valentine’s Day? It’s a card day, as far as I’m concerned. Maybe a little chocolate or flowers if you’re springing for something big. And of course little cards and candies for school children. Stores have always sold stuffed animals at that time but I don’t know anyone who buys or receives them. I certainly don’t know anyone who buys or receives jewelry or anything else big.
As someone who will celebrate 15 years of marriage very soon (where did the time go?), I can honestly say I’d check my husband into the local psych ward if he bought me pajamas or a teddy bear for Valentine’s Day…or really, any of the silly trinkets advertised on TV around this time of year. What do I want? I want my husband to keep on doing the great work he already does with and for our family. (He’s a stay-at-home father.) A night out without the kids wouldn’t be turned away either! That’s about it. The greatest gift he and I can give each other right now, besides time alone together, is time alone with ourselves. Time to think, veg out, or do things that reinvigorate us.
According to the media I (woman living in the USA) should not be happy unless I receive a car (Lexus or Porsche) or diamonds/jewelry…
Can a car call me daily from work just to say “Hi Honey, how’s your day going?”?
Can a 2 carat diamond whatever hug me, comfort me after a bad day or hold my hands during family prayer?
The best St. Valentine’s Day gift: being loved.
Many Blessings,
melanie
We need to promote the traditional meaning of St. Valentine’s Day — a day for love, leading up to marriage for life (between one man and one woman).
I remember there was a story about a priest down in Alabama, Fr. James Coyle, who presided over a couple and was murdered by KKK members (including the girl’s father) for it. (Future Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black defended his fellow KKK members successfully.)
That’s the kind of man who really represents the spirit of St. Valentine’s Day. And that’s the kind of people whom our society is still vilifying — people who believe in real love, and not the sham of love that can be sold in stores and racy videos, and which the desperate try so hard to chase, even while hoping it will somehow magically turn into real love.
To Father (and all):
Get a DVR. Seriously. It is unbelievably good. Watch only the shows you want, when you want. And never, ever watch a commercial. I watched the Super Bowl with my 12 yr old son. We watched zero commercials. That way, no danger. It’s a great way to record good documentaries or movies that air in the middle of the night.
I think with a DVR we actually watch less TV, and what we watch is only the good stuff and without commercials.
Don’t hold back Father, tell us how you really feel. Keep it all bottled up inside isn’t good for you! :-P
That made me laugh! Thanks for the rant! Keep up the good work!
My television is used only to watch DVDs. That way I don’t have to watch every single show on TV turn into a love-fest for The Wun.
Laura,
Sorry, didn’t mean to imply that all singles are “embittered” – talk about stereotypes! Your point is well taken! I believe another password for the combox is “think before posting”. “(Blush) I stand (or sit) corrected!
JSP
I cook 90% of our meals from scratch with LOVE and PRIDE.
From homemade bread to noodles to pot roast and dessert all in one afternoon.
I spent several hours in the kitchen every day…how is that for TLC and commitment.
Hey, guess what last night it was boxed Kraft Mac&Cheese because my daughter liked it more than all the homemade food,but still served with LOVE and PRIDE.
My family would rather eat Hamburger Helper (30 minutes to cook) than a fancy meal that took 4 hours to cook, some families prefer simple meals.
It’s not the food or the preparation of it that makes dinner special.
Moms, keep on serving those Pork’n’Beans, just add a dash of TLC….
This is all part of the dumbing down of the American male by Fifth Avenue advertisers. They truly believe that we are idiots motivated by nothing other than our passions. Most of the ads on TV are in this category, designed to titillate and excite the passions. It’s disgusting but the only solution is for the American male to refuse to watch such nonsense and, even more, to refuse to buy such products.
If this were to happen, the advertisers would get the message. The fact that it continues means that the American male hasn’t yet said ENOUGH! to such garbage. It also means that we are, as traditional catholics, a true remnant of what once was reflective of the entire catholic world.
“The Wun®” Love it!
Here’s something sort of pertinent from Auden I found posted elsewhere today: “Reason will be replaced by Revelation. Instead of Rational Law, objective truths perceptible to any who will undergo the necessary intellectual discipline, Knowledge will degenerate into a riot of subjective visions… Whole cosmogonies will be created out of some forgotten personal resentment, complete epics written in private languages, the daubs of schoolchildren ranked above the greatest masterpieces. Idealism will be replaced by Materialism. Life after death will be an eternal dinner party where all the guests are 20 years old… Justice will be replaced by Pity as the cardinal human virtue, and all fear of retribution will vanish… The New Aristocracy will consist exclusively of hermits, bums and permanent invalids. The Rough Diamond, the Consumptive Whore, the bandit who is good to his mother, the epileptic girl who has a way with animals will be the heroes and heroines of the New Age, when the general, the statesman, and the philosopher have become the butt of every farce and satire.”
Actually, I do have a DVR! And I use it all the time. But sometimes I’m up to my elbows in something in the kitchen and can’t get to the dratted remote fast enough. And my “skip commercial” feature is so-so.
The makers and the advertisers want the business. If you don’t want to participate in this modern Lupercalia [Zing! Well put!] — don’t.
Salutationes omnibus.
Fr. Z – “[See? If pastors of souls would preach about indulgences, people will pay attention.]”
I know it’s your blog and all, Father, but really…
Today being the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, and plenary indulgences being one very accessible facet of this feast, an opportunity to help our departed loved ones in a real, very Catholic way, maybe something about that, from you, would get our attention in a meaningful way.
By any and all means, whatever it takes, “‘Don’t turn on the TV! Turn off the commercials!'”
We have bigger fish to fry, no?
Great rant, Father! Though living in the UK I haven’t seen the commercial – you give something of the flavour of it…
The Daily Telegraph (our newspaper of choice) has a section on 50 gifts for Valentines Day – what to give her. In the middle of the collage of photos is a flimsy red undergarment. I snorted, “that gift is for HIM not her!”
Valentine’s Day is a minefield. In the past few years we have ‘celebrated’ it by going out for dinner somewhere really nice.
_______
Paul Haley: “Most of the ads on TV are in this category, designed to titillate and excite the passions. It’s disgusting but the only solution is for the American male to refuse to watch such nonsense and, even more, to refuse to buy such products.”
Well, as long as love is equated with sex, this will happen. Look at the movie industry. My three daughters aged 21-23, prefer ‘Random Harvest'(1942), ‘I Know Where I’m Going'(1945) and the more recent Jane Austen costume dramas to ‘romantic’ comedies currently on offer (the ghastly ‘Breaking Up’ for instance).
And I thought my husband had fits of disgust with these commercials. REAL MEN don’t act like oversexed juveniles in the first place. We are celebrating with a trip to Build a Bear (our only reason to ever set foot in a mall) and then lunch at Red Lobster. Valentine’s Day is no longer a Hallmark Day- it has degenerated to a celebration of man’s lowest common denominator, animal lust.
I would think a pod person had replaced my husband if he got me a pajama-gram or teddy bear for Valentines Day. It is likely he won’t get me anything, maybe a card and some grocery store flowers. That is ok with me. Spending money on this feast day turned Hallmark holiday doesn’t prove he loves me anymore then not spending money means he doesn’t.
Hunting around a city in Mexico for a jewelry store that sold exactly what he wanted (gold earrings with OLOGuadalupe) to give to me ‘just because’ meant a whole lot more then anything the ‘world’ says I should get on 2/14
you know which one I really find offensive and it plays all.year.long…??
“Every kiss begins with Kay”
I start a familiar diatribe almost every time I see it. Dh and kids are probably sick of it but I can’t help myself.
:) 11 years without a TV, and counting… and every day brings more evidence of just how good a move that was…
My congratulations to you, madam, and to your daughters. Their tastes reflect a proper upbringing and I hope their lives will be full of the values instilled in them by their parents. Your comments that “when love is equated with sex, this will happen” is spot on and the devastation of our youth proves it. Those caught in this trap today will realize at some point later on that they’ve been sold a bill of goods by Madison Avenue and that true love has nothing whatsoever to do with sex per se.
Thanks to the commercialization of Valentine’s day, and the way they make women seem like idiots, my hubby refuses to have anything to do with Valentines day.
Which means, I his wife, pregnant with his twins, having morning sickness every day, all day, is going to spend Valentines day without any special attention.
I despise and resent television. Other than EWTN there is nothing worth watching.
Fancy Valentine’s Day gifts are for slacker husbands who need to make up for 364 days of, “honey can you grab me a beer on your way out of the kitchen. Are all the dishes washed and the kids bathed yet? What do you mean you want me to pitch in?”
As for my husband, he shows me every day in hundreds of ways that he loves me and our children. I don’t need some smarmy card, flowers that die in 5 days, or slinky jammies. Plus, at 8mo pregnant, I can’t fit in any of their pjs.
JSP is absolutely correct.
Certainly large family homes should be more efficient than small ones because the children should by an early age know how to take over some of the chores. That is how it has always been done. It is good for all and it works. That is why our family’s homes are spotless, the laundry is washed, dried AND ironed including bedsheets. There is little that isn’t homemade, including clothing and in this farm house, the butter is churned on Fridays. My kids don’t know cake can come in a box or has less than four layers. My husband has never once had to ask for a clean shirt. It ain’t that hard, ladies. Imagine how easy it is to do all that when you don’t have to go to the barn to get your milk and eggs.
It has less to do about lazy than it does about organizational skills. It has everything to do with homemaking skills taught by generations of women and those skill have sadly been all but lost today. Most homemakers are more of the Martha Stewart variety if even that. Give the truly traditional homemaker some slack. They can do it! And some of us still do.
Give JSP a break. I know my post will be despised, but his was an accurate observation whether you want to admit to it or not.
Hi Father Z. –
Just wondering what your thoughts are on The Snuggie!
Melissa
I personally think that cheesy Valentines trinkets can be fun. Probably not the Vermont Bear, which looks a little pricey just for a laugh, but I’m not above pillaging the Walgreens holiday aisle on Valentines Day for some of their more amusing items. Yes, they’re cheap and stupid. I know that. But live a little! Marriage doesn’t need to be serious all the time, and I think the kid in me enjoys hearkening back to those days when the school party and exchanging Valentines with classmates was high excitement.
Wanting to see what all the fuss was about, I found the commercial in question on You Tube. It *is* rather icky, but so hilariously over-the-top that I have to think they were intending to be ridiculous.
I find myself wondering about the worthiness of a three layer cake.
What happened to the husbands???
I am a wife and SAHM, while Matt works long days/weeks in the military and has been deployed twice the last 2 years.
Where is the commercial for him? The head of this house?
Being a Mother and a Helpmeet to my husband is my pride and joy, a blessing every day.
For Valentine’s Day, we make our own cake to celebrate the life of one who died out of Love for the Savior, and some years I buy a bag of mixed chocolate candy to remind us all of the sweetness of the Faith, but I buy bags like that every so often anyway to throw in the freezer. My husband often buys flowers for me if they aren’t too expensive and I put them on our family altar, because our love produced quite a number of little ones, and he had to see me through a lot of painful labors – and I’m grateful to Our Lord and His Mother for the safe births. We don’t usually make anymore of a commercial day out of it than we do any of our other family Saint’s feasts.
I hate the Valentine adverts, too, but you know the daily idiotic adverts on radio for ‘sex pills’ and ‘prostate health’ commercials are what turn my blood into acid. The pathetically nerdy and fake- enthusiastic “I’m such an extreme loser that I have to take a pill every time I perform!” or the dour lecturing “Admit it, you elderly drooling dried up old codger, is your sex drive what it used to be?” has me reaching for the volume control everytime I recognize the opening lines.
Our culture is just coarse and vulgar and ignorant and sick. And spiraling downward fast. All we can do is behave with dignity and restraint and teach our kids to do the same. And mute the volume on the TV and radio!
Great rant, Father! Never seen the commercials, though…
What drives me nuts are the ads for Viagra and the other ED drugs-gag! My remote doesn’t work, so I just tilt my head back and close my eyes so I don’t have to watch them.
Calleva-did you watch ‘Sense and Sensibility’ on PBS? I loved it! I also borrowed the DVD of it at the library and played it twice on my computer! I’ve also seen the DVD of ‘Northanger Abbey’.
Don’t like Valentine’s Day myself, since I have no ‘sweetheart’. It ‘sucks’ for me because it was on that day in 2000 that I had to put my little Westie terrier ‘Murphy’ to sleep.
Amelia-what a cool idea! A “Sacred Hearts” party!