Will You Stand Against the Oppressive Chocolate Capitalists?

By: American Decency Staff

 

The "Revolutionary Alliance of Men that Women find Unattractive" is actually a thing and one of their biggest complaints is the massive marketing campaign that comes around every February 14 – Valentine's Day.

Disparaged by men around the world as a "Hallmark holiday" – or a holiday founded by those who profit from it, Valentine's Day is the one day of the year when pop culture forces men to try to be romantic.

I kid, kind of, but the Revolutionary Alliance of Men that Women find Unattractive (a Japanese group that will from here on out be referred to as Kakuhido) does not.

From Kakuhido's website, "The blood-soaked conspiracy of Valentine's Day, driven by the oppressive chocolate capitalists, has arrived once again… In order to create a brighter future, we call for solidarity among our unloved comrades so that we may demonstrate in resolute opposition to Valentine's Day and the romantic industrial complex."

Personally, as a fan of the "oppressive chocolate capitalists," I resent Kakuhido's efforts to dismantle the tasty empire they've worked so hard to mold. Shockingly, however, the organization founded because their leader's girlfriend broke up with him at the same time he was reading Marx's Communist Manifesto actually makes one (and probably only one) valid point.

In a magazine interview, Katsuhiro Furusawa, the organization's founder, told them, "All the mass media does is dehumanize those who are not in love. It makes them worthless.

"But the love the mass media is talking about is actually commercial love. They are using love to turn people into consumers."

Maybe it's just me, but I think I see some truth in Mr.Furusawa's unorthodox platform.

Maybe you've seen the "Love is…" comic strip by Kim Casali which features a cute little naked androgynous couple doing romantic things together.

"Love is… searching for new horizons together."

"Love is… captivating him."

"Love is… when your knees turn to jelly."

"Love is…falling under her spell."

They're cute; they're corny; they're half the story.

And I think they're a pretty good representation of what goes through people's minds when they envision being in love.

It's the kind of mush that makes up the romantic comedy genre, the emotional appeal that gets Nicholas Sparks his movie deals, and the impetus behind "oppressive chocolate [and Valentine card] capitalists.

I love how author Lisa Hall Wilson puts it on her blog,

"I watch these movies and TV shows and I just shake my head —  cause it’s rather apparent that these couples would  never last in real life. The smallest speedbumps and that relationship is going to come apart at the seams. But we enjoy the escape, we suspend our disbelief, we sigh, ‘I wish I could have a love like that.’

Rubbish.

Real love is hard. Real love is a choice, every day. Because everyone has irritating habits, everyone can be selfish, forgetful, frustrated, or confrontational. Choosing to stay and love that person when it’s hard to love them — that’s real love. When they leave their socks on the floor again, when they choose to spend the fourth evening in a row with their iPad instead of you — it all adds up and you have to make a choice.

There will be days you stay because you promised God you wouldn’t leave, or stray, or entertain thoughts about being with others. There will be days of unimaginable bliss, where you know without a doubt that other person loves you unconditionally. Sometimes life sends you into left field and you’re just stuck there for a season, for a lifetime. Will your love stand up to THAT challenge?"

It's a little harder to sell candy hearts with all that written on them.

I realize that I seem like the Grinch's February hating brother at this point, so let me try to get back in our lady readers good graces.

Mushy, romantic love is important. A man needs to go out of his way to make his woman feel special.

"Husbands, love your wives like Christ loves the church. (Eph. 5:25)" He didn't leave us wondering how he feels.

Guys need to sweep their ladies off their feet once in a while, but our kids and our culture need to know what true love really is is.

Nobody describes it as well as author and blogger Ann Voskamp in this blog post (which you should definitely read), "The real romantics are the boring ones — they let another heart bore a hole deep into theirs.

Be one of the boring ones. Pray to be one who get[s] 50 boring years of marriage – 50 years to let her heart bore a hole deep into yours.

Let everyone do their talking about 50 shades of grey, but don’t let anyone talk you out of it: commitment is pretty much black and white. Because the truth is, real love will always make you suffer. Simply commit: Who am I willing to suffer for?

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