Patria is in the front lines of the War on Valentines Day

As Patria celebrated Vasant Panchami - the day devoted to worship of Patria's traditional Head of State, Saraswati Devi - on Friday (Feb. 12) and World Radio Day today, more shots were fired in Patria's ongoing war against Valentine's Day.

The men's rights advocates in the National Union have condemned Valentine's Day for years, because of its unfair financial costs on men who have to pick up the tab for flowers, chocolates, lingerie, etc. in order to keep their girlfriends/significant others happy and willing to go to bed with them. But the strongest calls to ban Valentine's Day in Patria come from the hard-core Hindu nationalist, fundamentalist or revivalist organizations usually allied with the SRM. One such group, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) claims that the day is a "cultural conversion of Hindus" away from the path of Sanatan Dharma toward decadent Western values. According to the HJS, the over-commercialized Feb. 14 Hallmark Holiday should be banned (particularly among teenagers and young adults) for the following reasons:

• Hindu young men, please answer! Why are you spreading depravity in college by celebrating immoral Valentine’s Day?
• Realize the selfish interests of multinational companies to fill their coffers by selling their products!
• Shame! Shame on those colleges, Principals and Professors who are giving tacit consent to Valentine’s Day!
• Open your eyes, wake up ! Take active part in prevention of mental ‘Christianization’ of Hindu youth!
• It is the prime duty of every Hindu to stop mental and cultural conversion of Hindus happening in the name of Valentine’s Day!
• Future generation of Hindus getting entrapped in western ‘Days’ is social, national and religious harm!

In 2014, Patria moved on from being a "safe place for social conservatives". Patria no longer advocates modest dress for women and a ban on public displays of affection by couples. But Patria must remain a safe place for those who are asexual, those who are unable to navigate the ins and outs of long-term romantic relationships due to Asperger's or autism spectrum disorders, as well as those who are involuntarily celibate for any reason. Involuntary celibacy is a very real and very frustrating phenomenon, particularly for men who approach age 30, 40 or even 50 without ever getting a sniff of sex other than masturbation.

Valentine's Day is not officially banned in Patria as it is in Iran and in Pakistan (apparently this is one thing Hindus and Muslims can agree on!), except in grade school. Nonetheless, Patria has a duty to promote a healthy, wholesome definition of love that unlike mainstream pop-culture songs, advertisements, television shows and other entertainment, does not place an inordinate emphasis on sexuality.