Romantic Industrial Complex (RIC)

It appears that devout collectivists are viscerally pained by the existence of Valentine's Day since it's viewed as a manifestation of the capitalist Romantic Industrial Complex which manipulates people using "outdated ideas" of love and marriage.

One comrade academic in heterosexual studies even called for people to Occupy Valentine's Day.

Romantic citizens deserve a better, more authentic and sustainable ways (sic) to express their affections—whether that be spending time with their friends and families, donating money they would spend on a romantic dinner to a domestic violence shelter, forgoing (sic) that expensive wedding for a more meaningful but less costly one. Above all, let’s find a way to honor ourselves that does not rely on buying stuff.

So, in the mind of a political theorist, one who accentuates a marriage with an expensive ring or a pricey wedding is being exploited with outdated ideas by capitalists.

Understanding the Marxist mindset is difficult. It seems that any human interaction not collective in nature is considered exploitation of the masses. And exploitation of the masses is bad. Therefore, everything must be collective. Never are human preferences, wants, needs and desires seemingly considered.

Not being a political scientist, I could be seeing things wrong.

Tip: Cold Spring Shops.