Bloody Valentine

Bleeding Roses

February 14th. Not all of us are willing to simply 'go with the flow'. Me for one. Public displays of Valentine's Day don't sit comfortably with me, full stop. But more than that we might consider the view that Valentine's Day is sometimes little more than a distraction that masks deeper commercial exploitation. Whilst people are immersed in the idea of romance, balloons and roses, we should also spare a thought for all those poor Ecuadorian and Kenyan children who supply the European and North American fresh flower industry by toiling for low pay under the sun for 12 hour shifts. It is their blistered bleeding fingers that go towards many of the floral bouquets and displays that mark this day.

What do they say? 

Time to wake up and smell the roses.

 

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons