Peter Espeut IN ROMAN Catholic martyrology there is no doubt that there was a St. Valentine, but there is uncertainty exactly who he was. One source says he was a priest who lived in Rome in the third century, when to be Christian was illegal (since Christians denied that the Roman Emperor was God). His name was linked to St. Marius and his family who assisted many of the martyrs killed during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II. Eventually Valentine too was apprehended, says that source, beaten with clubs, and beheaded in 270 AD. Another more scholarly source says that Valentine was the martyred bishop of Terni unconnected with St. Marius and his family.
Although from ancient times a St. Valentine has been honoured on February 14, there is nothing to link him with the ancient practice of sending "Valentines" to a special someone of the opposite sex on that day. One source says the custom is an ancient pagan practice of boys drawing pictures to girls they liked, in honour of the goddess Februata Juno on February 15. Another source says that the sending of "Valentines" on February 14 originated with the belief that lovebirds began to pair up on that date.
Whatever the origin, the Cat-holic Church has never recommended or supported this practice, and indeed over the centuries has tried to abolish it, to no avail. I say all of this in case my friend Ian Boyne or someone else should come along and claim that they have discovered new evidence that the roots of Roman Catholicism or traditional Christianity lie in paganism.
IMITATION
As a sociologist I am fascinated with the ability of our Jamaican society to copy things foreign. Last week I wrote about our imitation of Black History Month, the struggle of a minority ethnic group in the largely white USA to gain deserved attention (here in a country where the vast majority of the population is black). Another strange phenomenon is the widespread adoption of practices questionably attached to the name of a doubtful Roman Catholic saint (Valentine), in a country decidedly anti-Catholic!
Did it strike you as strange (and a little strained) that last Saturday so many business places were decked out in red, and so many people were dressed in red, and bought red (mostly artificial) flowers for each other, and wished each other "Happy Valentine's Day", and that there were so many Valentine's Day tea parties and other gatherings? So much effort and so much energy expended by so many on so little!
Of course it has nothing to do with religion, and I wish that as much effort would be expended on making sure that our children learn to read and write after attending primary school for six years; or that we settle our differences using peaceful means rather than personal violence; or that public money is not spent to enrich a few or to serve narrow political goals; or that at least half of those eligible should exercise their right to vote; or that poor environmental practices like littering and deforestation should be arrested. The strategies which mobilised so many to wear red and buy Valentine's Day gifts and Valentine's Day "Specials", could be used to achieve more meaningful and laudable and beneficial ends.
The use by commerce of culture for profit is not new, but I think we are in the middle of a new era in the commercialisation of culture. What we are experiencing is a partnership between big business and the mass media where new cultural elements are being created purely to bolster the bottom line.
COMMERCIALISE
CHRISTMAS
Every year I point out the collusion between the radio and TV stations and the retail trade to commercialise Christmas, to debase its religious content. They play Christmas Carols in the season of Advent and abandon them during the twelve days of Christmas which follow, the real time when Christmas is to be celebrated and Christmas Carols should be sung. If we wanted we could restore Christmas to its proper place, but in whose interest would that be? The purpose of commercial media is to make profit which means to make money for their advertisers. The BBC is not in that, and I find that station refreshing!
In a consumer society, the purpose of big business (including the media) must be to induce people to spend money, and marketing and advertising strategies are developed to achieve that end. The greeting card industry which could not survive with just Christmas Day, birthdays and "Get Well" sentiments alone must be credited for diversifying its products, leading to the creation and spread of new days and seasons in which we should purchase their commodities: Mother's Day Cards, Father's Day Cards, Easter Cards, and the like; and to increase the February bottom line we have Valentine's Day Cards. Expect soon Summer Holiday Cards and Back-to-School Cards and Carnival Cards and Indepen-dence Cards and Emancipation Cards and Heroes Day Cards and Black History Month Cards and Tom Fool Day Cards.
OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEND
And also expect the retail trade to sponsor radio programmes to back up these commercial opportunities for people to spend money with them, by playing relevant music and ads, and creating relevant spot features. No problem with all of this! Business is business, and people will choose what they want to spend their money on. And if they choose to wear red and spend on Valentine's Day paraphernalia, that's OK. But as a student of culture I just find it interesting the lengths (and expense) people are prepared to go to, to copy foreign ways, to adopt new cultural forms, no matter how disconnected from their reality.
But, more importantly, I see clearly that effective methods exist to induce behavioural change to achieve desired social goals. But they are largely being used for rapacious ends.
Peter Espeut is a sociologist and is executive director of an environment and development NGO.
