School bans Santa from wearing red - because it reminds pupils of Coca-Cola

Worse than this?

School bans Santa from wearing red - because it reminds pupils of Coca-Cola

Worse than this?


For once I am speechless and possibly outdone.  Since when is being reminded of Coca-Cola a bad thing.  It's not like it's "New Coke" 8-P

What's the problem with coke?  I knew about the anti ho's. There's also some issue with horrible Red and Green Christmas lights.

totally ridiculous! ::)

School bans Santa from wearing red - because it reminds pupils of Coca-Cola

Worse than this?


That is this years complaint...for next year there will be complaints that the beard has to go because it reminds people of homeless derelicts and you don't want one of them coming into your house scaring the kids at night!

:D :D :D :D

School bans Santa from wearing red - because it reminds pupils of Coca-Cola

Worse than this?


Then they'll ban green because it reminds them of Sprite or Vault.

Who are these idiots who come up with such nonsense? I've never met them, as everyone I know thinks this sorta crap is stupid.  ::)

Then they'll ban green because it reminds them of Sprite or Vault.


No, not da Vault!!!! :o

Since when is being reminded of Coca-Cola a bad thing.

You mean the foul-tastin' tooth-rottin' obesity-causin' vomit-inducin' caffeine-packed brown fizzy stuff?  Can't for the life of me think why they'd want to stop children thinking about it...

Anyway, the red-suited white-beared Santa character that we all know and "love" is an advertising invention of the Coca-Cola company, so that's exactly what he's supposed to do: make the kids think of coke.  The drink, rather than the white stuff.

So instead youngsters will be visited by a green-clad St Nicholas.
This is where they're mixing their myths again: the green-clad chappie is a pre-Christian pagan character (only relatively recently merged with the Saint Nick of German tradition)

Personally I think it's a bit of an overreaction, but they'd do better explaining to their children why advertising and commercialism ****s up Christmas for anyone not wealthy enough... "Why does Santa only visit the rich children, mummy?"

You mean the foul-tastin' tooth-rottin' obesity-causin' vomit-inducin' caffeine-packed brown fizzy stuff?  Can't for the life of me think why they'd want to stop children thinking about it...

Anyway, the red-suited white-beared Santa character that we all know and "love" is an advertising invention of the Coca-Cola company, so that's exactly what he's supposed to do: make the kids think of coke.  The drink, rather than the white stuff.
This is where they're mixing their myths again: the green-clad chappie is a pre-Christian pagan character (only relatively recently merged with the Saint Nick of German tradition)

Personally I think it's a bit of an overreaction, but they'd do better explaining to their children why advertising and commercialism ****s up Christmas for anyone not wealthy enough... "Why does Santa only visit the rich children, mummy?"


Oh so you're a Pepsi drinker. ;D  Yeah, that stuff.
I beg to differ on the assumption that Coca-Cola invented the Santa character.  They only made him obese.

It's a bit stupid, but it's not like Santa has to wear red all the time. I've seen St. Nicolas in other colours before... green, blue.

Oh so you're a Pepsi drinker. ;D  Yeah, that stuff.

I can't tell the difference between them.  Once you strip away the packaging, hardly anybody can.  Mark Thomas recently did a television programme on Coke, one of the places he visited was a lab where he was given multiple samples of Pepsi and Coke and asked to say not which he liked more, but if he could say which was which.  He, like everyone else the lab has tested, was unable to tell the difference.  The strength of Coca Cola as a brand is completely dependent on advertising - it has nothing to do with taste whatsoever.


I beg to differ on the assumption that Coca-Cola invented the Santa character.  They only made him obese.

They invented the image we have of a jolly red-faced chap in a sleigh; before their advertising campaign (in the '30s, IIRC), the Father Christmas character was overwhelmingly depicted in green.  I have seen some fairly rotund Victorian depictions, but if Coca Cola made him obese, that's probably from drinking too much... maybe the advertising slogan should change: not "Coke adds life", but "Coke adds pounds"?

I can't tell the difference between them.  Once you strip away the packaging, hardly anybody can.

I know I can tell the difference.  Pepsi is less fizzy and much more sweet than Coke.

I don't see why they couldn't have compromised and had ALL depictions of the old man. The Santa we know, Saint Nicholas, Pere Noel, and I know there are some from other parts of Europe that I'm missing. Help me out guys. :D They could have also had different traditions taught at the bazaar.

But to deny Santa Claus because it supposedly reminds kids of pop? Please. If anything, it reminds them that it's almost time to ask for every toy in the shop. :P

Suddenly I'm thirsty for Mountain Dew..


.. Subliminal messages! Ahhhhhhhhhh!

This is where they're mixing their myths again: the green-clad chappie is a pre-Christian pagan character (only relatively recently merged with the Saint Nick of German tradition)


I don't know what the big problem with coke is, and  I don't know why a red suit would symbolize only that anyway.  Do you think an elf could open rocks as well as a knome can?

You mean the foul-tastin' tooth-rottin' obesity-causin' vomit-inducin' caffeine-packed brown fizzy stuff?  Can't for the life of me think why they'd want to stop children thinking about it...



Well, that's just the absurdity of it.  We do consume far too much soft drink.  They're ubiquitous, especially Coca-Cola.  The better idea is to educate children to consume sweets in moderation.  That's what they did when I was a kid.  There's even an admonition against over-indulgence in Willy Wonka.  Oh, wait a sec.  I'm trying to use reason and logic.  That kind of stuff doesn't fly with school administrators anymore.  Only semi-psychotic hysteria will do!

They tried to ban depictions of birthday parties from elementary textbooks because:
a. Some children's families cannot afford birthday parties
b. Birthday cake is fattening and not nutritious.

I envy these educators.  I have to try and solve real problems every frikkin' day!  I wish I had it so cushy I could sit around dreaming up ways to make the most benign things in the world---such as Santa Claus and birthday cakes--into emergent crises!

And a green Santa?  Who the hell ever heard of a green Santa?

The Brighton School is the biggest turkey I've seen so far this Thanksgiving!
:P


I don't know what the big problem with coke is, and  I don't know why a red suit would symbolize only that anyway.  Do you think an elf could open rocks as well as a knome can?

Communism!  That's what the red suit symbolizes!  Santa Claus is big government coming into your home and redistributing wealth. 

Well, that's just the absurdity of it.  We do consume far too much soft drink.  They're ubiquitous, especially Coca-Cola.  The better idea is to educate children to consume sweets in moderation.  That's what they did when I was a kid.  There's even an admonition against over-indulgence in Willy Wonka.  Oh, wait a sec.  I'm trying to use reason and logic.  That kind of stuff doesn't fly with school administrators anymore.  Only semi-psychotic hysteria will do!

They tried to ban depictions of birthday parties from elementary textbooks because:
a. Some children's families cannot afford birthday parties
b. Birthday cake is fattening and not nutritious.

I envy these educators.  I have to try and solve real problems every frikkin' day!  I wish I had it so cushy I could sit around dreaming up ways to make the most benign things in the world---such as Santa Claus and birthday cakes--into emergent crises!

And a green Santa?  Who the hell ever heard of a green Santa?

The Brighton School is the biggest turkey I've seen so far this Thanksgiving!
:P
Communism!  That's what the red suit symbolizes!  Santa Claus is big government coming into your home and redistributing wealth. 


I wonder how many remember holiday parties at school where they served you sickening sweet punch, candy and pretzel?
Green Santa?  Only if he's ill.
I'm sure Clement had Communism in mind when he wrote "A visit from St. Nicholas".http://www.unixboard.de/vb3/images/smilies/sm-nachdenk.gif

The better idea is to educate children to consume sweets in moderation.  That's what they did when I was a kid.  There's even an admonition against over-indulgence in Willy Wonka.  Oh, wait a sec.  I'm trying to use reason and logic.  That kind of stuff doesn't fly with school administrators anymore.  Only semi-psychotic hysteria will do!

They tried to ban depictions of birthday parties from elementary textbooks because:
a. Some children's families cannot afford birthday parties
b. Birthday cake is fattening and not nutritious.

I envy these educators.  I have to try and solve real problems every frikkin' day!  I wish I had it so cushy I could sit around dreaming up ways to make the most benign things in the world---such as Santa Claus and birthday cakes--into emergent crises!

The Brighton School is the biggest turkey I've seen so far this Thanksgiving!


Great post.

Well, that's just the absurdity of it.  We do consume far too much soft drink.  They're ubiquitous, especially Coca-Cola.  The better idea is to educate children to consume sweets in moderation.  That's what they did when I was a kid.  There's even an admonition against over-indulgence in Willy Wonka.  Oh, wait a sec.  I'm trying to use reason and logic.  That kind of stuff doesn't fly with school administrators anymore.  Only semi-psychotic hysteria will do!

Communism!  That's what the red suit symbolizes!  Santa Claus is big government coming into your home and redistributing wealth. 


I miss the guy that use to make toys for the children in his neighborhood

Great post.

Thanks!  Nice to agree on something every now and again!
;)


I wonder how many remember holiday parties at school where they served you sickening sweet punch, candy and pretzel?
Green Santa?  Only if he's ill.
I'm sure Clement had Communism in mind when he wrote "A visit from St. Nicholas".http://www.unixboard.de/vb3/images/smilies/sm-nachdenk.gif

St. Nicholas was the old days.  Today's Santa Claus is a lot of commie prop! 

Well, I remember in elementary school cola wasn't allowed because of the caffeine, nothing to do with the sugar.  Hawaiian punch was just fine, along with those cupcakes with gooey orange and green icings!
:P

There have been other objections to Santa because Santa Claus is fat, and that's poor role modeling in the obesity epidemics.  So some establishments want a fit-looking Santa.  OK.  So we've got a Santa in a green suit whose skinny and buff and says "ha ha ha!"  Sounds like they're trying to turn St. Nick into a Beverly Hills personal trainer!  Richard Simmons or something.
::)

Thanks!  Nice to agree on something every now and again!
;)
St. Nicholas was the old days.  Today's Santa Claus is a lot of commie prop! 

Well, I remember in elementary school cola wasn't allowed because of the caffeine, nothing to do with the sugar.  Hawaiian punch was just fine, along with those cupcakes with gooey orange and green icings!
:P

There have been other objections to Santa because Santa Claus is fat, and that's poor role modeling in the obesity epidemics.  So some establishments want a fit-looking Santa.  OK.  So we've got a Santa in a green suit whose skinny and buff and says "ha ha ha!"  Sounds like they're trying to turn St. Nick into a Beverly Hills personal trainer!  Richard Simmons or something.
::)


So now it's the Commie from the Arctic Region. :P
I don't think they even allow Hawaiian Punch anymore.
You have to worry about Santa becoming anorexic then.  It's a no win situation.

Thanks!  Nice to agree on something every now and again!
;)
St. Nicholas was the old days.  Today's Santa Claus is a lot of commie prop! 

Well, I remember in elementary school cola wasn't allowed because of the caffeine, nothing to do with the sugar.  Hawaiian punch was just fine, along with those cupcakes with gooey orange and green icings!
:P

There have been other objections to Santa because Santa Claus is fat, and that's poor role modeling in the obesity epidemics.  So some establishments want a fit-looking Santa.  OK.  So we've got a Santa in a green suit whose skinny and buff and says "ha ha ha!"  Sounds like they're trying to turn St. Nick into a Beverly Hills personal trainer!  Richard Simmons or something.
::)


  Saint Nicholas...maybe they're all wrong.  As with most things, even the dusty old saint gets an American makeover.  Clement Clarke Moore in his A Visit From Saint Nicholas never mentions the color of Santa's clothes, only saying that he was dressed in fur...

  http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-6/1193336/StNick.jpg

  Just a side note:  Ha, yeah I remember the school's no soda policy from grade school all the way through high school.  And you're right - the school stocked up on Hawaiian Punch!  Now my old school has freakin' Coke vending machines in the hallways for cripessake..!

   Saint Nicholas...maybe they're all wrong.  As with most things, even the dusty old saint gets an American makeover.  Clement Clarke Moore in his A Visit From Saint Nicholas never mentions the color of Santa's clothes, only saying that he was dressed in fur...

   http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-6/1193336/StNick.jpg

   Just a side note:  Ha, yeah I remember the school's no soda policy from grade school all the way through high school.  And you're right - the school stocked up on Hawaiian Punch!  Now my old school has freakin' Coke vending machines in the hallways for cripessake..!

Yes, and it is true that the Santa Claus was one of Coca-Cola's most successful, longest running ad campaigns. 

Now, one thing that's happening with public schools is the public has not the civic virtue to support them.  Thus, if the taxpayers won't pay the bills, Coca-Cola will--for a little something in return!  If schools won't hear of soft drink vending machines in the cafeteria, that's OK with the Coca-Cola company.  You can buy plenty of bottled water and fruit juice from Coke as well (think Desanti water; Minutemaide orange juice).

The no-soda policy never bothered me anyway.  I don't like to drink soda until later in the day.