Reason Magazine

Site Search

New at Reason

Chuck Freund says Santa's newly made-over look is nobody's business but the Turks.

Help Reason celebrate its next 40 years. Donate Now!
Send this article to:

« Plan B's Plan B | Main | Anarchy in the PA »

Comments to "New at Reason":

joe | July 8, 2005, 4:47pm | #

Is this the Fun Link?

smacky | July 8, 2005, 4:57pm | #

No, joe, the Plan B thread is the Fun thread. Because putting women's health in jeopardy to make a moral point is always funny! (according to right-wingers, at least).

JMoore | July 8, 2005, 4:58pm | #

Yet another shining example of how consumerist culture can bring people together!

JMoore | July 8, 2005, 5:06pm | #

Now that I think about it, it occurs to me that the more statues and memorials and holidays and other memorializations we use to honor a person, the less valued that person and his/her ideas become. A Christian saint becomes a symbol of vacuous consumption, George Washington's ideas of what a president should be are now silly, Lenin has become a cool home decorating accessory.... Perhaps we could put up a few statues of, oh-I-dunno, Osama bin Laden?

smacky | July 8, 2005, 5:13pm | #

JMoore,

There is a really good German movie called "The Nasty Girl" (starring Lena Stolze) which addresses the exact phenomenon you are referring to. The film deals with issues of Holocaust denial in a small German town. I highly recommend you see it.

Hakluyt | July 8, 2005, 5:52pm | #

JMoore,

Santa Claus was given to us by the Dutch. The Dutch also gave us the word boss and the concept of a public prosecutor.

Anyway, in entertainment law one of the reasons why public personalties often vigilantly protect their publicity rights is because image is a commodity with diminishing returns after a fair amount of usage.

smacky,

Yeah, great movie. Its hard to believe that it was done in 1989.

Matthew | July 8, 2005, 7:42pm | #

This conflict could be easily avoided if more people would simply embrace the great tradition that is Festivus.

Mr. Castanza | July 9, 2005, 7:59am | #

Festivus for the rest of us!

Mr. COstanza | July 9, 2005, 11:54am | #

Serenity, now!