16C UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
advice
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2006
the Hater's Guide to Valen
stand why his girlfriend was dressed in plain clothes. She seemed awkward and kissed him only briefly. Her parents had never wanted them together, but Trinidad was sure they were past all that.
alentine's
That is why he couldn't believe it when he never saw her again after that Valentine's Day. Not a word of explanation.
BY DAVID LINHARDT
editor@kansan.com
KANSAN CORRESPONDENT
Elson Trinidad told it like a hater should.
The formula was simple: beautiful girl, every moment was like a dream, long-stemmed roses—it was perfect. Trinidad outlined the Valentine's Day turnaround from heaven to hater-ville in the University of Southern California's Daily Trojan.
"I intended to make the most of the day," Trinidad wrote. "But the moment I set foot in her house, I knew something wasn't right."
Dressed in his best "impress the parents" clothes, Trinidad didn't under-
"I'm not preaching hate to the world." Trinidad wrote. "Love is a rose all right. It's got thorns."
While Valentine's day is the official holiday of love, some University of Kansas students just aren't into Valentine's Day at all. They don't love or hate the holiday—or even celebrate it.
"It's just another day for me," said Danielle Firsching, Wichita senior. "I'm not planning anything. I don't even remember what day of the week it's on."
Other students take a philosophical approach to being anti-Valentine. Megan Wesley, Hutchinson senior, said Valentine's Day shouldn't even be a holiday because not everyone can share it.
"You're excited about Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. These holidays you anticipate and you're excited when they arrive," Wesley said. "But
with Valentine's Day, you're not if you don't have a significant other."
Wesley said singles shouldn't mope because they lack a significant other in the romance month. During past periods of singleness, Wesley went out and celebrated with other female friends on Valentine's Day. Though Wesley has a Valentine this year, she still sees many women using the day as a time to party with friends.
Wesley said Valentine's Day is a great day for guys to go out because all those single ladies will be at the bar.
A search for "Valentine hater" on Google turned up more than 200,000 results. That's a lot of hating. Internet newsgroups also talked up the hatred. Groups like alt.support.depression have dozens of messages of Valentine hate or despondency.
"It seems like everybody is happily or unhappily paired off except for me," a user named Diana wrote. "Valentine's Day is not even here yet and already, I want to climb under a rock."
For the country's finest haters, a group called the Black Hearts Party organizes a yearly party in New York City. The anti-Valentine event grew so large that it is now invitation only and everyone wears black, or Black Hearts will fine partiers $50.
February 14th Facts
— Edited by Vanessa Pearson
Valentine romance inspires a sizable increase in February marriages, but divorces increase as well.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy changed U.S. military policy and allowed military officials to fire their weapons in "self-defense" if needed. The Vietnam War followed soon after.
Americans eat most of their yearly average of candy in February, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Our favorite type? Anything related to chocolate, which contributes heavily to obesity in the U.S.The Centers for Disease Control observe that obesity is partially to blame for nearly 300,000 deaths each year.
Salman Rushdie, who spoke at the University of Kansas last fall, was stuck with a $1 million bounty for his death by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran. Rushdie, a British author, wrote the novel "The Satanic Verses," which the ayatollah decried as blasphemous in 1989.
Source: www.msnbc.com