Project 4 Outline

PLANNING TEMPLATE  

Argument 

 

INTRODUCTION: 

 

  • Santa Claus is evil.
  • A jolly fat man breaks into and enters houses all over the world, demanding sacrifice from families in order to reap rewards, all while imparting distrust on children.
  • In this era, the tale of Santa is possibly the earliest example of “fake news”, in that it comes from a reputable source (parents), and turns out to not only be a lie, but a direct attempt to idealize criminal actions. Allowing children to internalize the idea of Santa as a good increases skepticism to the point where even reliable sources are looked upon with suspicion. This distrust is only magnified as children learn to interact with the world through media, which is equally misinforming.
OTHER SIDE

 

  • Santa represents the magic of Christmas and the idle naivete of youth.
  • Innocent and harmless tale that allows kids to be kids and provides a sense of magic, however it
  • And while Santa may not enter with intent to steal that doesn’t mean other people won’t
  • https://time.com/5071033/burglar-chimney-california-santa/
OPTIONAL BACKGROUND (if not needed, move to next step) 

  • Santa derives from Saint Nicholas, whose habit of secret gift-giving became the basis for Santa’s own deeds. Closely related is Krampus, a companion of the Saint’s who exists to punish bad children, and aligns closer with the intention of the modern day Santa.
SUPPORT ONE: 

  • Santa Claus’s actions are fundamentally illegal.  
  • https://blog.oup.com/2014/12/law-santa-claus-christmas/
    • Logos
  • Not only does he enact illegal surveillance, he trespasses both on airspace and personal property when landing a sled. On top of this, there is the potential for property damage as 12 reindeer and a large sled are unlikely to land lightly. Furthermore, much like Krampus, Santa demands cookies and milk from some places, but if following the English convention, sherry and meat pies, which puts him well into driving under the influence
SUPPORT TWO

SUPPORT THREE 

CONCLUSION 

  • Sometimes, you lie to children for their own good. In no way is perpetuating the myth of Santa even remotely close to being good. Recognition of his impossibility tends to be met with conflict, causing a life-long impression on a child. Not only are they taught not to think, they learn not to trust, and so turn to other sources. In today’s world, those other sources could be completely false, yet the child is left with no means of differentiation. Santa is evil, not just because of who he is or what he stands for, but what we sacrifice to keep him alive.