Who Is Santa Claus ?

Santa Claus, with his distinct characteristics, is a subversive tool of our society. His appearance conveys a subliminal message of his powerful standing in our economic caste system. The behavior he displays encourages a white male-dominated society. With his popularity and name association, he has become the high priest of materialism. Because of his characteristics, Santa Claus is no longer a viable role model for today's children. Santa Claus, a false idol, must be modified to meet the times.

Santa Claus is an overweight, aged white man who is excessively prone to wearing red clothing. In past times, the size of a person reflected his wealth; thus, a fat belly meant the money necessary to attain one. Santa, by his bulk, represents great wealth that few can reasonably attain and engenders envy. Santa, because he is very old, has supposedly earned the right to judge whether a child's behavior is proper or not. Age alone should not give one this power to praise or condemn others. This dangerous practice is particularly true of a stranger inflicting his value judgments on others.

In Santa's case, he not only reinforces the idea that judging others is the right of a man of his social position, but also that this judgment should be followed by punishment and public scorn of a child and threats of withholding toys or gifts if some unprescribed standard is not reached. His threats include leaving them lumps of coal or switches, not-too-subtle hints that physical abuse would improve their future. This causes children to look upon the  "Jolly man" with a mixture of fear and submissiveness. They want to please him for the rewards they might receive, but they are unable to decipher exactly what separates "good" from "bad" children. Parents apparently have no power over Santa. Even they join in the conspiracy of spying on their children and reporting their findings to Santa. This judgmental action is no less than a socially sanctioned form of child abuse.

（翻译待发)