V-Day is Basically National Women's Day

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that "according to the National Retail Federation, guys on average will dole out almost twice as much as gals for Valentine's Day, $156.22 compared with $85.08. Flowers remain the most popular gift, followed by cards, candy, a night on the town and jewelry." This isn't right. Why must guys spend so much?

Kit Yarrow, a consumer psychologist said that "guys got all their electronics for Christmas...this is kind of payback time." Then Yarrow added that "men will outspend women to make up for the HDTVs they bought themselves for Christmas and the Super Bowl." I don't know of any guys who bought a tv or flat screen just because of the Superbowl. I will admit, the SuperBowl is not a holiday but the closest thing to guys having a holiday.

The reporter Pia Sakar also said that "some will act more out of guilt than love." Again, I'll have to call bullshit. Girls get just as much as guys on Christmas if not more. Plus they shop for themselves while shopping for others. And even though Valentine's Day was created by a male executive to sell some more candy, come on, let's be real...it's a holiday catering to women.

Maybe I'm bitter because I really haven't had a Valentine since I dumped a girl on Valentine's Day as a teenager but for the time being, I feel fortunate.