Should we also rebel against the American Santa???

 

No Santa please, we're Czechs

 

By Dinah Spritzer in Prague

Published: 04 December 2006

 

The freedom-loving Czechs are again rebelling against an imperialist tyrant, although the oppressor this time is not the Kremlin but the world's favourite jolly fat man.

 

The Creative Copywriters' Club, a leading advertising association in the Czech Republic, has launched a campaign to eliminate the US-style Santa Claus. Its website, Anti-Santa.cz, features the Virgin Mary suckling the infant Jesus adorned in full Santa garb, replete with a pom-pom-topped hat. " This stupid, fat guy with the red outfit [has been] taking over our television ads and we say it's enough," said Martin Charvat, the creative director at the BBDO agency in Prague and one of the campaign's supporters. Cardboard Santas were popping up in the Czech capital's Old Town like daffodils in spring, he complained. We have our own way of celebrating Christ-mas with baby Jesus - Jezisek - delivering the gifts. This American Santa is just confusing our children."

 

The freedom-loving Czechs are again rebelling against an imperialist tyrant, although the oppressor this time is not the Kremlin but the world's favourite jolly fat man.

 

The Creative Copywriters' Club, a leading advertising association in the Czech Republic, has launched a campaign to eliminate the US-style Santa Claus. Its website, Anti-Santa.cz, features the Virgin Mary suckling the infant Jesus adorned in full Santa garb, replete with a pom-pom-topped hat. " This stupid, fat guy with the red outfit [has been] taking over our television ads and we say it's enough," said Martin Charvat, the creative director at the BBDO agency in Prague and one of the campaign's supporters. Cardboard Santas were popping up in the Czech capital's Old Town like daffodils in spring, he complained. We have our own way of celebrating Christ-mas with baby Jesus - Jezisek - delivering the gifts. This American Santa is just confusing our children."

 

I don´t think it should be banned, I just think people should stop this tradition.

santa is an american invention, made by the coke company cocoa cola.

 

i think the point is here that americanisation of other countries lifes are gradually eroding their traditional culture. we see it here, the recent argument over 'films' or 'movies' for eg. our language is becoming more and more americanised.

 

losing ones traditions cant be a good thing, i think the czechs

have a very good point .

 

There was Santa way before coca cola. Look on wikipedia...

Think it's German, cant quite remember though.

Father Christmas was Green before coke came along...

There was Santa way before coca cola. Look on wikipedia...

Think it's German, cant quite remember though.

 

There was a "Saint Nicholas" who was of Germanic tradition, which morphed into "Santa Claus" - "Santa" is the Spanish word for 'Saint' by the way...

 

The image of Santa Claus/Father Christmas as we know it now is entirely an American construct.. His red/white image was propogated by the Coca Cola corporation.... Basically the Yanks just bast*rdised the German Saint Nicholas/Father Christmas just like they bast*rdise everything... 'Budvar' beer was turned into Budweiser, Rugger was turned into American Football, Rounders turned into Baseball, Netball turned into Basketball, and so it goes on....

 

The Americans have never had an original thought in their entire history....

 

There was a "Saint Nicholas" who was of Germanic tradition, which morphed into "Santa Claus" - "Santa" is the Spanish word for 'Saint' by the way...

 

The image of Santa Claus/Father Christmas as we know it now is entirely an American construct.. His red/white image was propogated by the Coca Cola corporation.... Basically the Yanks just bast*rdised the German Saint Nicholas/Father Christmas just like they bast*rdise everything... 'Budvar' beer was turned into Budweiser, Rugger was turned into American Football, Rounders turned into Baseball, Netball turned into Basketball, and so it goes on....

 

The Americans have never had an original thought in their entire history....

 

 

lol.. so true scott....

 

they commercialised and successfully sold the myth of santa..

 

 

as for their sports...lol.. yeah they took rugger and called it american football, but unlike our men, they wear padding! lol big girls blouses!

 

baseball?... rounders over here is a GIRLS game!....lol

 

basketball?... pmsl, ANOTHER girls game!

Santa is fine for me.

You could knock America for many things, human rights, enviromental population.

But the issue of American 'Santa' is not something that I can take seriously.

Santa is fine for me.

You could knock America for many things, human rights, enviromental population.

But the issue of American 'Santa' is not something that I can take seriously.

 

 

why not?... its fact... a brilliant piece of marketing though, much though i dont like it.

 

But the issue of American 'Santa' is not something that I can take seriously.

 

You really should though mate, it's all part of the 'normalisation' process of Imperialism... It seems trivial, but it's really quite important to the whole discourse on Imperialism.. Look at a lot of Hollywood films made post 9-11.... In fact, look at the way we actually refer to it as '9-11' instead of '11/9', as we actually put the day before the month in this country....

 

If you look at the way the British Empire operated in places like India, it was the more subtle things like imposing British and European cultural icons and traditions to try to normalise the British way of life that did the most cultural damage to indigenous populations...

Well if your like that you'd never watch US TV or a US Film. It doesn't mkae sense to do that. Just take the good things and don't buy into the bad things.

Well if your like that you'd never watch US TV or a US Film. It doesn't mkae sense to do that. Just take the good things and don't buy into the bad things.

 

 

but the czechs count santa as a bad thing... and i think they have a very strong case.. i dont want to be part of an american ideology without my consent.

What's so bad about america anyway?

What's so bad about america anyway?

 

 

hmm.... plenty!

 

but id suggest that nothing as long as they keep their ideals to themselves, the point here being that americanised items belong mainly in america and not elsewhere. american culture belongs in america, not in the czech republic! you cant take away any nations identity, its just wrong.

Well if your like that you'd never watch US TV or a US Film. It doesn't mkae sense to do that. Just take the good things and don't buy into the bad things.

 

It's fine for me cos I can see through most of these veiled pro-US propaganda pieces for what they are, cos I've read around these things and learned to recognise the semiotic codes, signs and themes, but the vast majority of people not trained or aware to recognise propaganda will just accept it subconciously like sheep without even knowing... THAT'S the danger really...

 

There are good American films and TV shows, but they tend to be more critical...

What's so bad about america anyway?

 

The country itself..? Nothing...

 

The politics, the attitude, the 'culture'..? Everything....

It's true that most of the staples of "American culture" (if such a thing exists) from baseball to the cowboy to the hamburger are derivative. But the reason is because many of the origins of those institutions are older than the country itself. And even if the country is only 250 years old, the vast majority of its residents continue(d) practicing their native customs for several generations, while assimilating with people of other cultures, which is why you get new customs that are bast*rdized versions of age-old traditions.

There was a "Saint Nicholas" who was of Germanic tradition, which morphed into "Santa Claus" - "Santa" is the Spanish word for 'Saint' by the way...

 

The image of Santa Claus/Father Christmas as we know it now is entirely an American construct.. His red/white image was propogated by the Coca Cola corporation.... Basically the Yanks just bast*rdised the German Saint Nicholas/Father Christmas just like they bast*rdise everything... 'Budvar' beer was turned into Budweiser, Rugger was turned into American Football, Rounders turned into Baseball, Netball turned into Basketball, and so it goes on....

 

The Americans have never had an original thought in their entire history....

 

Lol, and I wonder how their football is played with hands.

I noticed in recent years, where I live Santa has been pictured in green more an more often, so maybe that´s a good sign?

 

I´m not so radical with anti-americanism, because I think culture evolves and it´s normal to receive foreigner influences. Just think about the influence Romans had in the past, in fact millions of people in the world today, including me, have a mother tongue derivate from their language. In Santa´s case, I just think it´s silly to promote it in countries where christmas ain´t even winter time, and there´s not snow, when each culture used to have its own christmas traditions in the past, which IMO were richer then this Santa Claus thing. And I also think it´s stupid that parents tell their kids that Santa acutally exists, they should teach them right from the start it´s just a tradition.

. Just think about the influence Romans had in the past, in fact millions of people in the world today, including me, have a mother tongue derivate from their language.

 

eh? do you speak latin then?

 

80% of the english language is derived from 'old english'.. ie... saxon.

 

theres also a big difference between a culture evolving, and a culture being lost to another invasive one. true, history is littered with culture changes in this tiny island, however for a thousand years our culture has evolved slowly under relatively stable times. (unlike the previous thousand years whereby we saw italian, german, norweigic and french invasions). im against one culture smothering another.. we arnt in the dark ages now, imagine, take this to its logical conclusion and every country on earth would eventually be americanised! variety is good, lets not lose it, or our/their identity.