Tuesday, December 8, 2009

What a Depressing Christmas Season

I was recently struck by the inherently depressing messages of TV Christmas classics:

  • A mentally disturbed child suffers peer rejection, then kills a plant. (A Charlie Brown Christmas)
  • A community mocks and shuns a deformed youngster until they learn that they can exploit his freakish physical difference for profit. (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)
  • It's okay to steal a hat if it belongs to somebody you don't like. (Frosty the Snowman)
  • A burgler avoids prosecution and is instead feted by his gullible victims. (The Grinch That Stole Christmas)

    Hmmmn ... maybe the problem is that I need to go back a bit farther. How 'bout some good, old-fashioned Christmas movies from the good ol' days?
  • Fiscal irresponsibility and banking irregularities are okay if you seem like a nice guy. (It's a Wonderful Life)
  • A single mother learns that it's okay to lie to your child as long as the lie is backed by powerful corporate interests and corrupt politicians. (A Miracle on 34th Street)


  • Uh-oh. Well, so much for the 20th Century. What does 19th Century literature have to say on the subject?

  • Miser grows wealthy by exploiting workers, but buys his way out of eternal damnation with a pittance in indulgences. (A Christmas Carol)


  • Dang.

    I reckon I'd best go a bit farther back in time. Let's go all the way back.

  • Men in power don't care if the poor give birth in stables, presumably because they have no health insurance. (Luke, 2.1-8)


  • Okay, so much for going backwards. Maybe it's time to start a new Christmas tradition, a cheery tradition. Let's find a happy Christmas season tale in today's news!

    Curtis Granderson Traded from Tigers to New York Yankees.

    It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Detroit.

    1 comment:

    1. MD-P's first Tigers Beagle Haiku
      (because if Christmas is looking a little sad maybe it's because there's been a real let-up on the production of Beagle Haiku these last few days. And please DON'T tell me I have to go to FB to get some!)

      Katie the Beagle
      Hangs her head in shame. Bye-Bye
      Curtis Granderson.

      ReplyDelete