This is just a perfect glimpse into the twisted nature of our society.
Santa Controversy: St. Joseph, Mich. parents worry substitute teacher ruined Christmas
At first, I thought this article was a Scrappleface style joke. But alas, I am proven wrong yet again. Oh those poor, poor suburban children. Christmas is now "RUINED" because they realize the 18 presents they will receive Christmas morning are from their loaded parents, and not a lie they have been raised to believe in. Give me a break! No place around children? Why, because she told them the truth? Oh the humanity! Sickened? I actually have no words for this one, other than hogwash.
Has the entire country been led astray so much that we have collectively lost sight of the real reason for the season? Santa is a conjured up lie and the sooner you tell your kids there is no Santa the better. Maybe try telling them something that is true, like the story of Jesus.
Santa Controversy: St. Joseph, Mich. parents worry substitute teacher ruined Christmas
There is outrage among some parents after a substitute teacher in St. Joseph "revealed too much information" about Santa Claus with a class of second-graders.
Some of the 7 and 8-year-old kids went home with tears in their eyes and questions on their mind after the sub raised questions about Santa.
Brown Elementary School officials are saying that teacher is no longer welcome in their school and some parents worry Christmas may be ruined.
Principal Craig Hubble immediately sent an email out to all the parents in the school saying he was, "sickened by what happened," and to warn them that kids may come home with questions. Hubble also wrote in the email that, "I strongly believe this person has no place around children."
This was that substitute teacher's first time at Brown Elementary and Hubble said it will definitely be her last. He reported her to the company that arranges for the school's subs.
At first, I thought this article was a Scrappleface style joke. But alas, I am proven wrong yet again. Oh those poor, poor suburban children. Christmas is now "RUINED" because they realize the 18 presents they will receive Christmas morning are from their loaded parents, and not a lie they have been raised to believe in. Give me a break! No place around children? Why, because she told them the truth? Oh the humanity! Sickened? I actually have no words for this one, other than hogwash.
Has the entire country been led astray so much that we have collectively lost sight of the real reason for the season? Santa is a conjured up lie and the sooner you tell your kids there is no Santa the better. Maybe try telling them something that is true, like the story of Jesus.
Only a really dumb kid in second grade would believe in Santa.
ReplyDeleteHack, you're visibly upset here, but let me shed some light on the subject if I may. Santa Claus, etymologically, is an Americanization of a Dutch phrase, Santa Miklaus, which translates to Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was in fact a real person, who according to Dutch legend did in fact give toys to children on Christmas. If you're so worried about the real reason for the season, maybe you should calm down a bit and simply tell the story instead of denouncing traditions that this country has held for decades simply because you don't share the belief. You don't want to believe in Santa, fine. But don't sneer at those of us who do simply because you think it's "a lie."
ReplyDeleteCC: You have missed the point entirely. Try re reading the post. Unless of course you actually do believe the myth of Santa Claus. Did your parents never break the news to you?
ReplyDeleteThere are SEVERAL supposed origins of Santa Claus, though we've made a fairly homogenous lie in the end. There's only ONE origin of the Christian faith. I say we go with the obvious truth.
ReplyDeleteI did read the post, Hack, and you insult my intelligence by assuming that I didn't. If I missed your point it was because it was lost in the hostile tone of what you wrote. But you've prompted me to ask a few questions. One, how does believing in St. Nicholas take away from the real reason for the season? I believed in Santa just like millions of other kids, and I never forgot that it was about the birth of Christ. Two, how does you sniping at people who want to preserve the magic of the man in the red suit for their children bring light to the concept of peace on Earth? And also, Adrienne, your opinion is your own, but calling kids "dumb" doesn't really help your side.
ReplyDeleteCC: I usually try not to do this (continue debate on a comment thread) but in the spirit of Christmas, I will.
ReplyDeleteYour staunch defense of Santa Claus is both creepy, and misguided. I am fully aware of the historic figure of St. Nicholas. That is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about Santa Claus, the guy who goes to every house on Christmas night, squeezes down the chimney (even on houses that don't have them), and delivers presents under the Christmas tree, (though we all know not all kids get presents). I doubt children in Sudan or the slums of Brussels believe in Santa. And those privileged kids, like the ones in this article, probably have no idea who the REAL PERSON of St. Nick was.
But even beyond this issue of the false replacement figure of Santa to take the place of Jesus...even THAT was not the point of this post.
The point of this post was to highlight the complete overreaction by the parents, much like yours, in regards to Santa and the fact that breaking the news to these kids would "ruin Christmas" for them, while there are starving children out there in the ghettos who would give anything for just one gift this year.
Even more so, the chastisement of the teacher for actually telling these kids the truth, that Santa Claus does not exist. Maybe a little in bad taste and unnecessary, but certainly not worthy of being labeled as unfit to be around children.
I am eager to continue debating you on the topic of Santa's existence...
I agree that the parents probably over reacted, but I can understand why the parents are upset as well. I personally would be more than a little angry if some stranger walked up to my kid and told them that one of the time honored symbols of the holiday season was nothing more than a figment of their imagination, and a benign conspiracy that amounted to little more than an elaborate stage magician's act. What I was more concerned about in this post was YOUR anger at the idea that belief in Santa somehow detracts from the celebration of Christ's birth. I never lost sight of the reason for the season, and no one else I know did either, despite believing in the man in the red suit.
ReplyDeleteAs for my personal belief in Santa: yes, I continue to believe, though no, I don't believe there is an actual workshop at the north pole where elves make toys for children who are good and mine coal for children who are bad. However, I DO believe that every time an act of charity makes someone able to better help themselves, and thus help others, as a gift to the Salvation Army or Goodwill charities does, that the spirit of St. Nicholas has inspired such acts. In that sense, yes, I do believe in Santa Clause.
CC: I can agree with that, and in no way, shape, or form am I against the good natured generosity and love of the Christmas season. I apologize for sounding a bit too Scroogely in the post. That was not my intent.
ReplyDeleteAs for the topic of pagan symbols replacing the original Christian themes of holidays such as Christmas and Easter, we could go on and on. Santa vs. Jesus however is a simple one. I will have to disagree with you. Of course, there are plenty of us out there who still put Jesus as the number one reason for the holiday. But I believe the majority of people in America, children especially, don't give Jesus a second thought, besides during Sunday School (if they even go) while jumping for joy over the one bringing them presents. Do I blame the kids? Of course not. I blame the secularization of our culture.
I don't want to argue anymore on the topic, CC, and I apologize for any offense taken by this post. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
Hack