Some markets just need to stay untapped

I'm really having a hard time coming to grips with this little gem. Greeting cards for people having extra-marital affairs. Because it's sooooooo romaaaaaaantic! ::swoon::

More like ::gag::. Seriously. It is pretty abhorrent to support the concept that cheating is beautiful and romantic. It isn't. It's cheating. It's hurtful and deceitful, full stop.

Here are some of the fine selections from the "Secret Lover Collection:"

One holiday card reads, "As we each celebrate with our families, I will be thinking of you." Another card laments: "I used to look forward to the weekends, but since we met, they seem like an eternity."

Now a lot of sappy cards make me want to hurl, but this makes me want to hurl something at Cathy Gallagher, the creator of the Secret Lover Collection. Here's how she justifies this "niche marketing:"

"These are for people who are in love affairs," said Gallagher, who finds inspiration in movies, songs and people she knows. "These are not sex cards. Those have been done."

Oh, okay, it's about twue wuuuuuuv, not sex! Now it's okay! Never mind that true love involves fidelity and honesty and something a little more enduring than weekend trysts. Gallagher then goes on to explain her market research:

"By the time we reach our mid-30s, we come into contact with someone who has had an affair," she said. "I researched it and found it was an untapped market. There were relationship cards but nothing about this kind of relationship."

You know, I'm all for capitalism and finding untapped markets for an innovative new product, but really, some markets are untapped for a reason. We really don't need any more industries that tell us that romance is all about the fall and that commitment is boring. We already have enough television, books, and movies trying to sell us that lie.

Ms. Gallagher, do you want a nice little quote about what true love really looks like? Rent the movie Keeping the Faith. There's a gem near the end, and ironically, it's an older priest offering advice to a younger priest about his commitment to the priesthood even after he's fallen in love with someone. His words, however, give insight into what true love really looks like:

The truth is, you can never tell yourself there is only one thing you could be. If you're a priest, or if you marry a woman, it's the same challenge. You cannot make a real commitment unless you accept it's a choice that you keep making again and again and again.

That's true love: making the choice over and over again to love the person to whom you've committed yourself. That's something "Secret Lovers" by definition can never have.