A statue of Santa Claus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
BW Media Spotlight is about traditional storytelling but a recent article from the UK’s The Telegraph is something I can’t ignore. Yeah I started a Tumblr for stuff outside the BW norm but this is something that demands the attention of the larger site and you can connect it to storytelling because Santa Claus (or Father Christmas in the UK) is at the heart of most Christmas stories not about Jesus or just a Hallmark romance story that just happens to be set at Christmas. He’s been spoken of in song and verse, there is an actual accreditation for would-be Santas (for those who take their mall Santas serious), and he shows up in every Christmas sale ad not involving talking toys selling themselves.
And yet the psychological community seems to have this growing hatred of the jolly fat man. “They shouldn’t make obesity something to cheer on is one” argument you hear, but another is one I also hear from some Christian scholars as well, that kids will feel lied to and question everything their parents tell them from now on. Now I think they’re being overreactionary and I’ll get to that as we go on, but this article we’re tearing apart bugs me for two reasons. One is that there is no counterargument, making the article feel one-sided in an anti-Kringle perspective. The other takes a shot at anybody who enjoys fiction if I read this correctly. And that’s when this article turns stupid.
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The War On Santa Claus
A statue of Santa Claus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
BW Media Spotlight is about traditional storytelling but a recent article from the UK’s The Telegraph is something I can’t ignore. Yeah I started a Tumblr for stuff outside the BW norm but this is something that demands the attention of the larger site and you can connect it to storytelling because Santa Claus (or Father Christmas in the UK) is at the heart of most Christmas stories not about Jesus or just a Hallmark romance story that just happens to be set at Christmas. He’s been spoken of in song and verse, there is an actual accreditation for would-be Santas (for those who take their mall Santas serious), and he shows up in every Christmas sale ad not involving talking toys selling themselves.
And yet the psychological community seems to have this growing hatred of the jolly fat man. “They shouldn’t make obesity something to cheer on is one” argument you hear, but another is one I also hear from some Christian scholars as well, that kids will feel lied to and question everything their parents tell them from now on. Now I think they’re being overreactionary and I’ll get to that as we go on, but this article we’re tearing apart bugs me for two reasons. One is that there is no counterargument, making the article feel one-sided in an anti-Kringle perspective. The other takes a shot at anybody who enjoys fiction if I read this correctly. And that’s when this article turns stupid.
Continue reading →
Tell others about the Spotlight:
Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on December 6, 2016 in Christmas Spotlight and tagged Christmas, commentary, Father Christmas, Santa Claus.
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