Santa - guilty as charged?
The Australian academic who blasted Santa for being a poor role-model, was today attempting an embarrassing climbdown.
Dr Nathan Grills produced a report for the British Medical Journal titled ‘Santa – A public health pariah’. Poor old Santa was accused of encouraging obesity, drink driving and failing to wear a seatbelt.
“Given Santa’s universal appeal, and reasoning from a public health perspective, Santa needs to affect health by only 0.1% to damage millions of lives.” the report stated, suggesting that Santa instead swap his reindeer for a bike in a bid to shed some weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Now Dr Grills says that the report was only intended to be tongue-in-cheek and he accused the media of misrepresenting his original report. “I hoped to spread a bit of Christmas cheer, but with a tinge of seriousness to provoke a bit of health Christmas dinner table conversation.”
He even claims to be a believer and lover of Santa himself and says that he has donned the red and white suit on a number of occasions for local schools in Victoria.
He was speaking after his report attracted a barrage of criticism from the media and the public. Dr Grills himself has been inundated with emails from incensed members of the public who failed to see the funny side of his satirical report.
Santa mows into town.
We feel this Santa however may have got the wrong message. For he’s swapped his reindeer not for a bike, but for a lawnmower? He was snapped alongside the Stuart Highway near Palmerston in the Northern Territory this week riding in style atop his festive mower.
The man in the suit was in fact Jono Johnson, a Santa enthusiast known to locals for his habit of donning the red suit whenever it suits!
He certainly brought a smile to passing motorists, many of whom thought the spectacle was fabulous. “People are loving it, hey. There’s really good Christmas cheer out there.” said Mr Johnson.
In the past Mr Johnson has taken his Santa act literally anywhere: “I wear it just anywhere where you might get the urge to do it – why not? It’s a bit of cheer.” He admits that he’s worn it to work and even on holiday. He’s also splashed out an extra $12 for a new suit because the old one was getting a bit tatty and worse for wear.
Well I do hope the lawnmower is fitted with a seatbelt, we don’t want to encourage recklessness now do we?
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5 Responses to “Australian Santa Critic Backs Down”
Comment by Tristan — December 21, 2009 @ 1:02 am
Well this is poor journalism to begin with – he hasn’t ‘backed down’ at all, the original report was written in a satirical manner and always was intended to be read the same way. There’s no ‘backing down’ at all here.
Comment by Mark — December 21, 2009 @ 9:58 am
What is embarrassing Lisa, is not what you claim as a “backdown” by Dr Grills, but the knee-jerk press reaction to what was an obvious joke. Kind of difficult to embrace an Australia that can’t take a joke.
Comment by Kevin Phillips — December 21, 2009 @ 2:33 pm
Santa is a better role model than Ronald McDonald, and certainly better than Joe Camel. The Easter Bunny? A feral pest. The Tooth Fairy? Nice legs. Humphrey? Never said much. But come on, don’t let me be the only one to push the “Dorothy Dinosaur for PM” wheelbarrow. Unite, Australia, unite. Out with Kevvy Sloganmaster, in with Dorothy. She’s a role model for healthy teeth.
Comment by Kim — December 21, 2009 @ 5:20 pm
I think the article was obviously satire and I agree that people are misrepresenting the “report” – it was hilarious, not grinchly. He is not backing down, but explaining it to people who didn’t get a joke. His article could have been in the Onion, but it’s even funnier that it was in the medical journal – shows they have a sense of humor too.
Comment by anne-marie c — December 22, 2009 @ 3:41 am
Come on, get real, you must be kidding me, my worry is we have a doctor that went to Uni and is picking on Santa, what kid really analyzes what santa does, what kid associates santa with drink driving or enjoying a biscuit or two with bad habbits, and he rides a sleigh up in the sky, as for his weight, kids don’t even think about it or they care about is what is left under the tree. I would think kids and their excitment near to christmas about santa is doing more good than bad, we know that laughter and joy is the best medicine for everyone, get real I say to anyone that tries to take Santa aways or change him. Ridicolous!!!!!!!!!