Santa Not the Best Role Model for Kids' Health (Rethinking Santa)

Santa Not the Best Role Model for Kids' Health

www.businessweek.com

SUNDAY, Dec. 20 (HealthDay News)

Is Santa Claus really public health enemy No. 1?

Absolutely, says an Australian doctor in a report published in the Dec. 17 online edition of the BMJ. Jolly Old St. Nick promotes obesity, drunken driving, speeding and general unhealthy habits ...

He noted that Santa is associated with unhealthy products, like Coca-Cola, and often appears with pipe in hand. In some countries, people leave a spot of brandy for Santa, and that could lead to drunken driving, Grills added.

(visit the link for the full news article)


[edit on 20-12-2009 by In nothing we trust]

Are Americans modeling thier lifestyle (A life of sedantary materialism and obesity) after a 1931 advertising campaign?

Ref: www.thecoca-colacompany.com...

Santa claus is depicted as an overweight patriarchal fat man who promotes materialistic entitlements. Get something for nothing as long as you don't get on Santas naughtly list. Tow the line and you'll make good (More OBEY). Before 1931 obiesity was not promoted as an American value.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/dad951a78de0.jpg[/atsimg]

Apparently the government is now out to re-engineer santa.

www.businessweek.com

(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 20-12-2009 by In nothing we trust]

reply to post by In nothing we trust


Now, if they depicted Santa as a slim junk food fanatic, then I might see the point here...but kids look at Santa and see a jolly, yet fat old man...I don't believe that there is a child out there that idolizes Santa...they just want the toys. So far as alcohol goes, have there been alcohol commercials that actually show Santa boozing it up?

Just my 2-cents

Don't mess with Santa!

Australian Santa Critic Backs Down

The Australian academic who blasted Santa for being a poor role-model, was today attempting an embarrassing climbdown

Sounds like a couple of "helpers" paid Nathan Grills a little visit!


Incidentally, Nathan's Grill in Georgetown recently closed!

I don't know if thats mind control or not. I have always tried my best to stay thin regardless of Santa's fat belly or anyone elses for that matter. I also avoid cokes. Once in two months though I'll suck one down to increase belching.

Originally posted by Aggie Man

... have there been alcohol commercials that actually show Santa boozing it up?

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/297fdc07ad37.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/597bb705ebe8.jpg[/atsimg]

Is Santa really a role model for kids?

I think not.

If he were, wouldn't kids be wearing white beards and wigs and red suits, too?

How many kids do you see trying to look like old men?

About zero, I think.

Dr. Grills claims his paper was satirical, something that was not made clear in an article I read earlier.

Now Dr Grills says that the report was only intended to be tongue-in-cheek and he accused the media of misrepresenting his original report. “I hoped to spread a bit of Christmas cheer, but with a tinge of seriousness to provoke a bit of health Christmas dinner table conversation.”

www.embraceaustralia.com...

If that's the case, then no harm done.


[edit on 2009/12/20 by GradyPhilpott]

so this guy is worried that the image of santa might lead young children to gorge on mince pies, drink half a bottle of brandy and fly a sled off the roof at speed?

'kay, not high on my list of concerns but i suppose someone had to say it.

I disagree with respected Australian Santainists. Santa Claus is all about healthy physical exercise (chimneys are not for weaklings), altruism (free presents), responsible behavior (good boy vs bad boy and the dire consequences) ,developing writing skills (letters,letters,letters) and multiculturalism (foreign elves making toys (made in China) and alien reindeer serving as Santa delivery platform).
Of course during loooong non-Christmas days bored Santa has to relax after reading all those letters, so little C2H2OH and extra calories should be forgiven. If he got stuck in a chimney or failed breath alcohol test - then it would be different story.
In any case , he is not guilty of misuse of his image by TPTBs for their evil plans to get US obese and thus take other the world.

Well Santa was only made jolly in the 19th century on a postcard sketch, and then made even fatter by Coca cola for their ads.

St Nikolas
or Sinta Klaus

Was a average sized bearded man in the reds and fur or white trim of a bishop including a bishop hat And Europeans did portray him as so for over a 1000 years.

Also in Europe we mostly portray St Nicholas of Myrna as is, as a bishop......
www.mnsu.edu...

first fake santa 1843 was jolly, but not obese, we can thank Coke for that
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/052c399c6dac.jpg[/atsimg]

St Nicolas Of Myrna
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d705f3711f24.jpg[/atsimg]

The current Santa is purely a commercial image designed to sell and make people feel comfortable, He IS a bad role mole lol!
The original St Nik, a good role model as he gave gold coins in shoes/socks to poor kids stealthly at night.




[edit on 20-12-2009 by zazzafrazz]

reply to post by ZeroKnowledge


Great way to turn it around on them!

Yeah Santa is commercialism, but if these anti Santa guys really want to do something about it let them go after Coke and the other companies who promote these ideas about Santa. They won't do it because they are all talk an no action.

They would rather try to make the people feel bad about letting their kids believe in Santa when it was not the parents who twisted Santa into this commercial icon in the first place.

That is just a bad and evil as this commercial Santa!

Generally speaking, the depiction of Santa clause as he does now started in the 1800's.

As for Santa influencing kids... I really don't see it. Yes, he does encourage naughty vs. nice, but most kids rarely get what they deserve for Christmas.
And I've never seen obesity touted as a Virtue in America, in fact all I've heard is to the opposite in fact.
Also in the States, it's traditional to leave milk and cookies, and we left carrots for Santa as a kid as well.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/54369ecf1e4c.png[/atsimg]

In the interests of the article, here is rough draft of a redesign for Santa as a kick but action hero.
Abandoning his role as jolly gift giver following the lack of belief now that he has relegated much of his work to parents, Santa has moved to Miami.
He enrolled in karate to loose wight and now teaches self defense to Mall Santas.

Soon to follow in this series: Rebel Santa, Non-Conformist Santa, Santa Jack.
Already in series: Scape Goat Santa.

(Yes, I'm aware the fellow states it was tongue in cheek, so is this. )

reply to post by zazzafrazz


Slightly disagree, this Santa was at least chubby, and he's from 1880's.

LOL

people really have nothing better o do than come up with crap like this?

Santa, a ROLE MODEL? seriously?

Find me one child who wants to BE santa clause.

No children dont want to be like santa clause, they want to be with him,
and want his toys. lol

they do not want to BE him. wtf.

this country is a huge *unfunny* joke.

Focus on something that actually matters, maybe???
*seriously!!*

Mod Edit: Please don't circumvent the censors with naughty words...thanks.

[edit on 12/21/2009 by seagull]

Since when was Father Christmas a role model?

I really don't think any kid has ever looked at him and thought, "Gee-wizz! I would love to end up like Santa!"

When I was a wee nipper, Santa was some fat old geezer who used to break into my house once a year and give me the latest Action Man figure. Nothing more, nothing less.

reply to post by Ahmose


Don't think Aussie is a joke, besides, the fellow later stated it was intended to be tongue in cheek.

Originally posted by RuneSpider
reply to post by zazzafrazz

 

Slightly disagree, this Santa was at least chubby, and he's from 1880's.

Santa Claus appears to have evolved over time. Santas that came before "Big Coke Santa" were depicted as healthier and skinnier as well as fat. So it appears that "Big Coke Santa" has united the myth into a fat unhealthy Santa. Now we all think it's ok to be fat.

20th Century

The Santa Claus figure, although not yet standardized, was ubiquitous by the late 19th century. Santa was portrayed as both large and small; he was usually round but sometimes of normal or slight build; and he dressed in furs (like Belsnickle) or cloth suits of red, blue, green, or purple. A Boston printer named Louis Prang introduced the English custom of Christmas cards to America, and in 1885 he issued a card featuring a red-suited Santa. The Santa with a red suit began to replace the fur-dressed Belsnickle image and the multicolored Santas. Although Santa Claus was still wearing different colors of garb into the 20th century, the red suit had become a standard image by the 1920s, as described by The New York Times on 27 November 1927.

Haddon H. Sundblom, a commercial illustrator, began to work for Coca-Cola in 1924, and from 1931 on he created at least one painting of Santa Claus every year for use in advertisments by The Coca-Cola Company. The popularity of his paintings and Coca-Cola advertising helped cement the image of the tall, robust Santa Claus (like an "overweight superhero") in the public consciousness.

www.time4me.com...

[edit on 20-12-2009 by In nothing we trust]

reply to post by RuneSpider


yeah but it was for commercial postcards...or adverts, not sure what your disagreeing with? I said jolly and then even fatter by coke....anyhoo
Coke cola may not have been the 1st to make him fat but they certainly immortalised the image....

[edit on 20-12-2009 by zazzafrazz]

Originally posted by LiveForever8
Since when was Father Christmas a role model?

I really don't think any kid has ever looked at him and thought, "Gee-wizz! I would love to end up like Santa!"

Oh Really?

I'm sure this particular kid was heartbroken to find a thin Santa.




Merry CHRISTMAS AboveTopSecret.com

reply to post by In nothing we trust

Santa Claus appears to have evolved over time. Santas that came before "Big Coke Santa" were depicted as healthier and skinnier as well as fat. So it appears that "Big Coke Santa" has united the myth into a fat unhealthy Santa. Now we all think it's ok to be fat.

It may be that er... "Big Coke" has standardized the Santa Claus image, but I seriously doubt anyone thinks it's ok to be fat because of Santa Claus.