Cause Célèbre

Stanley Williams, the subject of my 11/30/05 post, was put to death last night in San Quentin's lethal injection chamber. Whether or not this was a just decision, the death of any human being is a terrible thing. Anyone who supports the death penalty should read this eyewitness account from the San Francisco Chronicle. At the end, this was not an easy, quick, or painless death. Williams left our world full of fear and frustration. His death was no easier or better than those of the 4 people he was convicted of killing.

Snoop Dogg and Jamie Foxx may have admirably used their star power to focus media attention on this case, but the television news media predictably turned it into a circus. This shouldn't be something covered by Access Hollywood. It's not important that Joan Baez sang on a plywood stage (when was the last time Joan Baez was relevant?) because that just allows conservatives to write this issue off as a crusade by the "Hollywood Liberals."

I'm not sure if we have a celebrity-obsessed culture or if celebrity-based news is just an incredibly efficient way of pacifying and under-informing the mighty masses. Being force-fed the celebrity aspect of the Stanley Williams trial rather than the greater issues at hand ensures that there will be no significant or more sophisticated social dialogue to come out of this event. The most tragic punctuation on the Stanley Williams saga will be that all five lives were prematurely ended in vain.

A Salute to The Man

So far, I've discussed some relatively divisive issues on this forum. Most have been areas in which red and blue America cannot seem to find common ground. Today is no different. Today I'm going to choose sides in a debate that shakes this country to its very core. Ladies and gentlemen, I love Santa Claus.

I know we shouldn't even venture into these treacherous waters, but I feel it's necessary to give this icon his day in the sun. Santa Claus is awesome. I'm not talking about Kris Kringle. I'm not talking about Pere Noel. I'm definitely not talking about Saint Nicholas. I'm talking about the Santa Claus that everyone envisions when we hear his magical name. This is Thomas Nast's character with the bowl full of jelly. This is the miraculous fellow who can be at the mall in the morning, the grocery store in the afternoon, on a fire truck in the evening, and sliding down your chimney in the wee hours of the night.

Lately, there has been a lot of controversy about the increased use of "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." Bill O'Reilly has attempted to turn this issue into a crusade against Christian America by the -- say it with me -- secular progressives. This post is in no way supporting that mentality. I think Merry Christmas is a bit ethnocentric and stores should have every right to use a catch-all like Happy Holidays. There's nothing wrong with recognizing and respecting Kwanzaa and Hannukah or any of the myriad cultures that see December 25th as any other day of the year.

That's the great thing about Santa Claus. He rises above all that crap. Even if every store in your local mall banned the phrase Merry Christmas, the big man would still be available for photos in the Food Court. His image has almost entirely separated itself from any religious affiliation. I grew up in a secular and (according to my parents) progressive home where Santa Claus was thought of with almost heroic reverence. In my house and many others, he has been able to divorce himself from his Euro-Christian ancestry and offer something that transcends ethnicity. Santa Claus is still welcomed into many homes that celebrate Kwanzaa. Mr. O'Reilly and his easily-outraged ilk are ignorant of the fact that Kwanzaa was never meant to be an alternative to Christmas. As a child, I had Jewish friends and Hindu friends whose eyes would light up at the appearance of any man in a red suit and black boots. He appeals universally to the innocence and imagination of America's children and I think that's a rare and fantastic thing.

Innocence and imagination are two things that seem to be in increasingly short supply for American children. Pop culture has a way of taking away much of life's mystery. Our 5th graders know all about sex (some from first-hand knowledge) and are eager to shed the charming naivete that makes them special. But for all their premature world-weariness, there's one man who hasn't been replaced by rainbow parties, booty quakin', and R-rated movies. For the most part, even if they're suspicious and even if they already know, kids still like to see Santa just in case.

I'm sure that part of the enduring and widespread appeal of Santa is motivated by the greed and materialism of American kids, but that's not the only appeal. On the surface, Santa is a means to an end. He's the bringer of X-Box 360s, BB guns, and ponies, but that also makes him a bringer of dreams. Fulfilling a child's (admittedly often materialistic) dreams is what makes him an icon of unequivocal good. Lastly, this Salute to The Man is important to me because Santa is one positive example of The Man. He's an old white guy who obviously has a lot of money. Usually The Man is doing dastardly deeds with his money. He's drilling in Arctic wildlife refuges, bulldozing section 8 housing, or draining your company's retirement fund. Santa uses his considerable fortune to please children of every race, creed, and color. He's a shining example of all the good that rich, old, white men can do. Too bad he's fake.