Steve's Annual Valentine's Day Rant Bingo

Steve and Johnny sat in contented silence, both enjoying their beers and the hum of the pub.

‘Get any Valentine’s cards?’ Johnny said with a smile on his face. He knew he was poking a bear with a stick but Steve’s annual Valentine’s Day rant was always a favourite.

‘I did actually,’ said Steve. Johnny nearly fell of his chair. Steve’s record that he’d not had a Valentine’s Day card since he was 11 was his main source of pride.

‘My local Pizza place sent me one, that was nice of them.’

Johnny took a sigh of relief; an advert didn’t count as a Valentine’s day card.

‘But you know what pisses me off about Valentine’s Day?’ Johnny settled back, he could now play Steve’s Valentine’s Day Rant Bingo. But Johnny was going to be disappointed, there was no barbed comments about commercialism, no you should love someone everyday not just Valentine’s Day, and no it’s all so tacky.

‘The BBC, that’s what.’ Steve said. ‘The other news outlets don’t feel they have to fair so they just go Valentine’s crazy but the BBC feel they have to represent both sides.’

‘Well that’s good isn’t it?’ Johnny said feeling a bit confused.

‘Well it would be if they weren’t so bloody patronising about it. Those who don’t like Valentine’s Day, for whatever reasons, are called cynics, sceptics, killjoys; words with negative connotations. Why? Why just because you happen to disagree with the hype, are you dismissed as being a cranky old grump? Why not call us independent thinkers or people with different viewpoints? They don’t call the people who buy cuddly hearts gullible fools do they?’

Johnny nodded, as usual Steve had a point but whether it was a point worth making was questionable.

‘It’s not just Valentine’s Day; they used the word ‘naysayers’ about people who didn’t celebrate the royal wedding. I know what you’re thinking Johnny, you think it doesn’t matter, but it does. They are dismissing people who want to make serious points about consumerism, loneliness, privilege, etc by basically calling them names. It’s schoolyard tactics. And that means you get fewer and fewer people willing to speak out.’ Steve finally paused to take a swig of his beer.

‘Well as you say, Steve.’ Johnny replied, ‘At least the BBC are reporting both sides.’

‘But it does more harm than good. How will we ever change anything if people who think differently are dismissed so easily? It’s depressing.’

‘I’ll buy you a beer to cheer you up.’ Johnny smiled. ‘And if you’re good, a bag of nuts too.’

Johnny collected the empties and headed to the bar.

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