"Shocked that a fellow Brantfordite would attempt to dampen the joy of Christmas for believers, Canadian observers posted enraged screeds on social media, calling the poster-maker a " psycho" who deserved a rock through their window. After receiving several direct complaints, police officers made contact with the resident, who voluntarily removed the signs. "While it isn't illegal to be a 'Grinch,' we do encourage everyone to embrace the spirit of the season," read a lightly menacing statement from the Brantford Police Service."
"That a series of factual posters about a storybook character would provoke state intervention illustrates the fierce protective instinct some adults maintain about Santa Claus. No matter their own traditions, every member of society is expected to abet the ruse in public, lest children who celebrate Christmas be prematurely disabused of their beliefs. Those who do not comply are branded as Scrooges, Grinches, or worse-party poopers indifferent to the suffering children their honesty may leave in its wake."
"For the most part, this is a small and unobjectionable ask. It's fun to lie to children about something that makes them happy! But for parents raising kids who are Jewish, Muslim, or in any other religious or secular tradition that doesn't incorporate Santa Claus, it presents a dilemma: Do they tell their own children to lie to kids who believe?"
A Brantford homeowner displayed signs declaring Santa fake, sparking social-media outrage and threats and prompting police contact; the resident removed the signs voluntarily. Police framed the act as legal while urging seasonal goodwill. The incident reveals a strong social expectation that adults preserve the Santa myth in public to protect children's beliefs. That expectation pressures non-Santa families to either participate in the ruse or risk social condemnation. The situation raises ethical questions about honesty, communal norms, and the burdens placed on minority-religion or secular parents during shared cultural celebrations.
Read at Slate Magazine
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]