Is Santa Claus a bad role model?

Friday, December 18, 2009

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VIEW GALLERY: Working off Christmas treats

Dr Grills also grills Santa on his bad influence on drink driving, writing: "With a few billion houses to visit, Santa would quickly be over the limit." Dr Grills' witty report goes on, adding that Santa has never been seen wearing a seatbelt. The report cites research that indicates Santa is sneezed or coughed on up to 10 times a day. "Unsuspecting little Johnny gets to sit on Santa's lap, but as well as his presents he gets H1N1 influenza," Dr Grills wrote.

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It's outrageous we say! Don't take the fun and tradition out of Christmas. Luckily Dr Grills told ABC News his paper was intended to be humorous and a bit of tongue in cheek. In saying that, his report did make into the British Medical Journal. Poor Santa!

"I think Santa is a good role model for kids in terms of giving gifts and being generous. The true St Nick was a very generous bishop," Dr Grills reported.

"If Santa is a figure that appeals to kids and he's used by big corporations to market alcohol and the like, then basically he's marketing those products to kids."

Do you think Santa is a bad role model? Comment below.

User reviews

Santa Claus begins with a man called Nicholas, born during the third century His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a Christian, died while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus words to "sell what you own & give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his inheritance to assist the needy, sick, & suffering dedicating his life to serve God. Nicholas became known for his generosity to those in need& his love for children. To remember a man who cared about those less fortunate big corporations encourage us to spend big on presents food & Coke for a holiday what a retailers delight We should be encouraging big corporations to stop tainting Santa Coke has not only managed to use Santa to encourage the consumption of a sugar filled unhealthy drink but has also stuck him in a red suit Don’t you dare think about calling our Santa a bad influence it is the Stores & the big corporations that are the bad influence distorting our view of a man we should be remembering for his generosity!

for most people out there, yes Santa is not real, but the fact they continue to advertise to children that he is real its absolute nonsense. yes of course it gives the kids a sense of happiness. but how do you think the kid will feel when they find out Santa is not real ? do you recon lying to children and telling them there majically gonna get free gifts from someone is a better example for the way things come rather than saying "look what dad got you ! " "yea thats right what exactly you wanted for christmas". without people realizing there already setting bad examples. first of all, lying to there children, then when the child grows up they will remember that there parents told them a lie as a young child and might actually be affected mentally to the fact that "if my parent says something how do I know there telling the truth ? " showing them real values at a young age is setting a better example and role model of each parent out there. the child will value there parent more.

Dr Grills must not have very nice memories of Christmas as a child. Santa is a fictional charactor who all children eventually learn is not real. Look at the companies trying to exploit the innocence of the children's belief in the wonderful santa claus to sell products unstead of trying to destroy something that brings so much joy to the kids lives.

This is further evidence that the human race is at its end what happened with our spirt we cannot have fun any more and enjoy a moment that is very special for a lot of people everyone needs to take a long hard look in the mirror and say to your selves I look incredibly stupid today and have a good old laugh at yourselves everyone needs to get over themselves and stop thinking you are the only person that matters in the world the world is changing at a very high rate of knots slow it down a little

F me are you for real i think Dr Nathan Grills needs to get a life and a real job

If its kids you are worried about, all the joy of santa and the prospect of having presents under the Christmas tree takes away the fact that he is chubby, most kids including myself dont care about what he looks like.Santa brang so much joy and heart warming moments into my life, I wont let his appearence interfere with any of those in fact his appearence just makes Christmas all the more lovely. I am 10, in year 5 and enjoying santa, even though I stopped believing of my own accord at six. But if you mister Grills dude are trying to stop that tingly feeling of happeness spread across australia then FINE, but I will try to stop you.

Greedy capitalists are the bad roll models in this case , Christmas has now become a time to profit by the sales of gifts and not enough emphisis on the true meaning of christmas , which is the birth of christ , one now should wonder if we really should celebrate this event if we dont take the whole meaning of it ! We have been mislead by the advertising for profit only. the markdown of gifts after christmas is proof that the markup of gifts before christmas , reflects the true value of there gifts, so we are cleverly decieved of the meaning of christmas, we have the same problem with easter , this event actually is about the death of christ , but the same thing happens with easter as it does with christmas , markup before easter markdown after easter, both these event have been stained by false adertising for profit only. this doctors waste of time in this area means that he is trying to justify his income at the tax payers expense, charities would use his wages for the needy better

I thought australians were meant to be notorious for their sense of humour. apparently not. the article itself says that Dr Grills who wrote the report was writing with an ironic, tongue in cheek context. everyone's ready to blame everything and everyone else for their problems... who's to say humour isn't a great way of pointing this out. put it into context and un knot those knickers!

unknot your knickers.... it's tongue in cheek humour. no need to get upset because you can't handle a little joke.

if it was a skinny santa, then wouldnt that just make even more unrealisticly thin images more broadcast in todays society? while we're at it, make him a few inches taller, 21 years old, short blond hair, all perfect-white teeth and really attractive to 16 year old girls! id prefer a jolly fat man over some sly smiling young ****head! keep the tradition goin

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