Experts Say Santa is a Bad Influence
Health officials have countered the popular notion of Santa Clause this year with the idea that Father Christmas actually needs to engage in more physical exercise and stop drinking and driving. According to experts Santa has become a public health hazard promoting negative images such as driving under the influence and obesity.
They argued that Santa’s portrayal as a fat, jolly drunk are sending the wrong message to millions worldwide about the serious nature of obesity and healthy living. Namely, experts are accusing Santa of being a bad role model who instead of lounging in his sleigh speeding needs to go out for a jog.
Illustrator Brendan Halyday and Dr Nathan Grills have teamed up from Monash University outside of Melbourne in Australia to urge holiday marketers to brand Santa with a more positive image. One that will take him away from his reputation as a jolly, obese drunk.
Halyday and Grills are concerned that Santa’s saturation as the icon for the holidays being used by companies all over the world is promoting unhealthy lifestyle choices such as poor eating habits and excessive drinking.
The research report includes a full list of the negative behaviors which Santa puts on display each year for young children and adults to be influence by. The authors, published in the British Medical Journal, also said that Santa used to be used as an branding image to sell smokes, but that as since been banned. The authors major conclusion and plea to marketing agencies worldwide is that Santa needs a major make-over in order to give him a more positive image and healthy lifestyle.