Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Scottsdale Gun Club, Gordon Murray
Nothing gets me into the Christmas spirit like seeing photos of people posing with Santa while holding their favorite assault rifle. It’s a perfect coupling, like eggnog and a full-on drunk, now we’ve got guns and Santa.
Like pumpkin pie and whipped cream, snow on Christmas morning, Jingle Bells and hot cocoa—it was inevitable that someone would find a way to combine a long-treasured holiday icon with a weapon that has a muzzle velocity of 715 meters per second.
Of course, this photo will start a trend. Soon, we’ll see cheery folks posing at Santa’s gun shop at the North Pole, surrounded by elves dressed in camouflage. The Elf Force will keep very busy making AK-47s for the millions of children who’ll stamp their little feet and shriek the heck with the Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle! Santa’s eight tiny reindeer are transformed into armor-clad Humvees. Glad tidings will be sent to all through the firing of a round of ammo.
And to all a good night.
Sooner or later, someone who places commerce or political ideology above tradition will co-opt a beloved symbol and turn it into something ugly. Santa isn’t a jolly old elf; he’s an NRA member who loves chicks with guns.
This practice, shown in the photo, is all the more despicable because it wrenches an icon out of the hands of children and adults who celebrate this time of year as something innocent and good. People with a less than savory agenda believe that icons and symbols are up for grabs—to be distorted and twisted into an idea or belief that serves some other master. Sometimes that master is the agenda of the NRA: put guns into the hands of anyone who wants them and place no restrictions on their portability.
But the master can be anything, as long as it sells an idea or a product.
Look familiar? Perhaps not. They’re cigarette advertisements from long ago. Yet, still, to this day, tobacco companies continue to steal icons and symbols to further their agenda, which is to find a constant stream of replacement customers, because their current ones are dying off or getting very ill.
Lots of people think this is okay—that companies and organizations ought to be able to do anything they want with our cherished symbols, icons and messages. After all, in the U.S., we believe in free speech! But, here’s the rub: We act like nothing happens between the moment we see the distortion of a symbol and the message that gets implanted in our brains.
But something does happen and it’s insidious and pernicious. The NRA marketing staff know, because they’ve seen it done before, that co-opting a friendly icon, which has a long history of association with only positive things, and pairing it with a message that is far less than positive, will create a transformation in our minds—and in the minds of children and youth. This stuff works. The tobacco industry marketing staff were geniuses at this symbol-mind transformation. They used cartoon characters to show that smoking is fun and youthful; they used babies to convince moms that smoking helps relieve the stress of motherhood; they used Santa, too, to show that smoking is a festive, cheerful thing to do.
This practice, honed by decades of well-funded and thoroughly conducted research, is called, “friendly familiarity.” It’s the Trojan horse of advertising. Before you know it, the agenda, the product, is in your back yard and it just doesn’t seem that bad or harmful. After all, Santa is there, smoking a cigarette and hanging on to his AK47.
It’s deplorable that the NRA or a gun club would further its goals of getting a gun into everyone’s hands by using Santa to sell its agenda. Children grow up too fast already in the U.S. Can’t we leave them with one untarnished icon that has always been a symbol of innocence and joy?
You have hit on one of my biggest pet peeves! Madison Avenue! It seems always to do either of two things: insult my intelligence or offend me. How they make a dime, I cannot fathom since apparently I am missing the gene that is supposed to make me want their products. They either dont’ bother to check with a professional before they portray something and therefore get it utterly and often logically wrong, or they tie as you point out wonderful images with crap like guns. Usually I just make a point of not using that particular products, but since I dont’ frequent gun shops, that won’t work here. I guess the best thing is to call local stations and register one’s objections to the ad. good blog SDS
Oh, I fall for beauty product ads every once in a while because I’m somewhat vain. Drat! I don’t like what jewelry companies do to sell their products but at least their stuff doesn’t kill people.
I second that. The advertizing industry is built on manipulation. While I enjoy certain creative or hilarious ads, I think that most insult consumer’s intelligence and/or openly play to gender stereotypes (i.e., Kay’s, Jared, Axe).
Oh, those jewelry ads make me want to scream! Hate them. The images of diamonds as symbols of how much the man loves his woman make me want to gag every time.
Did you see the Jared ad for chocolate diamonds? Very infantilizing.
Hi,
Where do some of these ideas come from? Santa with guns, that is just not on, this is not how Santa is supposed to be at all, personally I feel this is going a bit too far.
Cigarette advertisements has been banned in OZ for many years, to be honest I don’t know if that is good or bad, I personally feel it didn’t really make any difference although others have different views. But a lot of the small and large sporting clubs lost a lot of money, as they no longer had the sponsorship to help with the clubs.
It’s not just the ads themselves; it’s the images and words chosen that pull customers in. I don’t think tobacco companies ought to be able to sponsor anything. Their sponsorships are yet another way to get at customers. I better stop. I could go into a full-on rant about them.
There’s yet another twist here, and it’s that the very people who complain that Santa Clause detracts from the true meaning of Christmas are the same ones insisting we all have a right to own guns. And that makes it a little too twisted for me to ever figure out. I admire your values, SDS, as well as your ability to express them.
Very observant, Charles! I hadn’t bridged that fact before.
As always, Charles finds the loose strands and pulls them together into a tight little bundle. I agree, SDS has great values and stand behind them with clarity, good sense, and the necessary dose of black humor.
Thank you, Linda! Once in a while, on my blog, I’m gonna have to rant!
For the time being the NRA’s laying off the Easter Bunny. Sorry, I could not help myself. “Bad Santa’s” my favorite holiday film.
Oh, I adore “Bad Santa”! I laughed through the entire film!
I think I saw these pics on SketchySanta.com and I could have sworn I saw one with a couple and a baby. Pretty sure these were also taken in Arizona. These made me cringe.
It’s cringe worthy for sure!
Oops, just saw your caption. Yes, Arizona.
That’s why I love my TIVO. Those times when I’m watching someone else’s TV and I accidentally watch a commercial, I feel a few more brain cells die.
The solution: Avoid non-TIVO owning friends. Friends who have TIVO don’t let friends watch anything but.
Ah the good ol’ days. Christmas shopping was much easier back then; just gave all your loved ones a carton of their favorite cigarettes.
Funny! Yeah, you could stop off at the last minute at the gas station and pick up a bottle of wine and cigs.
And no one wonders how valid the message can be if people will only attend it if they co-opt a trusted messenger.
Of course you, as a messenger that opposes the NRA and their ilk have to be attacked… So why do you hate freedom?
I find the growing trend in gun ownership in conjunction with the seemingly uncompromising views of the people who own them to be terrifying. It almost makes me want to buy a gun (I’m only half kidding). However, I would never own a gun because I know I would accidentally kill someone or something (probably the UPS guy or the neighbor’s cat).
I agree with bronxboy, the hypocracy is baffling. I rencently stumbled on to a blog where in the first paragraph the middle-aged female blogger professed her love for Jesus, but in the second paragraph explained how her online Gears of War buddies meant the world to her (it was heartfelt – no sarcasm). Admittedly, I don’t know much about Gears of War, but there does seem to be a disconnect between Christian values and an appetite for violence.
Can’t wait to read The Second Day of Christmas.
Yes. This appetite for violence and its imagery is horrifying to me. And these are assault rifles – who needs to own one of those, other than the military or a SWAT Team, for crying out loud! Well, it’s out there, folks, I am so anti-NRA.
Actually when I see the photo with Santa and gun bearing women, the transformation in my mind isn’t a positive one about guns but an unsettling one about women who want to be like men with their macho toys.
It’s understandable to a certain degree that because women are still under assault by men they need to protect themselves in any way they can. But this ad doesn’t address that dynamic. It cheapens both the holiday and the advances women have made in moving away from the feminine mystique Betty Friedan wrote about back in 1963.
I am so with you on this view, LB. I’m not impressed by the women as sex objects with assault rifles.
I’ll admit it … I thought it was kind of funny. It would be different if it was actually sponsored by the NRA (if it was, I couldn’t tell that from the picture – it looks like it’s just a picture taken of some women belonging to the Scottsdale gun club), or if it was an advertisement for guns. To me, it just looks like a bunch of strong-minded women having a little fun with the incongruity of their guns and Santa Claus. I think the concept of Santa Claus is strong enough to weather a silly picture like this – nobody really associates him with Camel any more, do they?
I am going to have to challenge you on your statement that Santa has always been an “untarnished symbol of innocence and joy.” I understand the sentiment of this popular notion, but I’m coming at it from another angle. I was raised in a very conservative Christian household where Santa was tolerated but certainly not promoted. I take a much more balanced approach to the culture than I was raised with, but that upbringing gave me an interesting perspective. Way back at the beginning, yes, St. Nicholas is said to have given gifts to those in need. But has the American version of Santa ever really reflected that? You can follow the Santa tradition back many decades, and the consistent pattern is that of children making lists of toys they want Santa to give them. How did we get this idea? From storybooks? Or from TV, catalogs, and other print ads? I’ll bet you the contents of this year’s Christmas stocking that most of our mental images of Santa, whether from adulthood or childhood, were founded in advertising – Santa at the mall, anyone?
I always feel a little like Santa focuses the attention on the stuff. He doesn’t encourage us to give gifts to each other, even – it’s all about the getting. He’s not a daily part of our lives so it’s not like we can even write him a heartfelt thank-you note later. I never put “from Santa” on my kids’ presents, because they’re from ME, dammit!
I’d way rather have my kids know that Grandma thoughtfully picked out (or made) a gift for them, and to appreciate her kindness. And as un-PC as it is to say it (not that I’m ever overly concerned with political correctness), the original St. Nick probably would have been appalled that he had become the image of Christmas, rather than the One he was honoring and serving by handing out those gifts in the first place.
(For the newer followers of this blog: I’m not a troll. I’ve been a regular subscriber and commenter for quite a while, and there are enough articulately expressed strong opinions in the history of this blog that I think one more shouldn’t get anybody’s knickers TOO terribly in a twist.)
It’s probably a guarantee that the Scottsdale Gun club members are also members of the NRA. I don’t think that’s a stretch. As far as strong-minded women – well, give it whatever spin you want, but women posing as macho sex kittens doesn’t appear all that empowering to me. I see feminist strength coming from other, far nobler things, none of them having to do with toting assault rifles.
Santa, in its truest form and original character is a symbol of innocence and joy. I do believe the American version has embraced that. Of course, WalMart and other retailers have helped to tarnish the image. And Coca Cola’s role was definitely to build that empire. But I like to think (because I’m kind of an optimist) that most families regard Santa and the holidays as a season of giving, more than getting. If someone’s children reflect the worst aspects of the season – the getting, the greed – I’d say that’s a parental problem.
And, at the risk of being pedantic: The exchanging of gifts is one of the core aspects of the modern Christmas celebration – it was common in the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, an ancient festival which took place in late December and influenced Christmas customs. Oddly enough, Christmas gift giving was banned by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages – they thought it was too pagan. Later on it was brought back by the Church on the basis that it associated St. Nicholas with Christmas, and that gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were given to the infant Jesus by the Biblical Magi.
Dr. Clement Moore published a wonderful poem in the early 1800’s based on the character Santa Claus: “Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in the hope that Saint Nicholas soon would be there…”
Finally, I’m always pleased to get opposing opinions and I think yours was well articulated – none of the readers should get twisted knickers over it. They, like you, are good peeps.
As long as we are willing to support consumerism with such diligence and loyalty…
Can you imagine if we all did what I’ve asked my friends to do this year…if they are determined to give me a gift, it is to be something they already own. I will reciprocate in kind – or give them some of my time.
I love your idea, souldipper. Sounds like a ton of fun!
Oh, I like that idea too! I’d have to think a lot harder about gifts if I couldn’t just pick something off the shelves – I might suggest this to my mom and sister for our gifts to each other, since we are all tight on funds but we don’t want to give up on presents all together.
Interesting post and interesting discussion. It is distrurbing when icons that are precious to us personally are associated with beliefs or values to which we do not subscribe. But this image doesn’t surprise too much. Our culture is not terribly mindful or worried about the corrosive effects of excessive irony. Nothing is sacred; destruction allows the unimaginative to feel productive while relaxing.
Sadly, what you say is true. Marketing people work for the bottom line in most private enterprises. I just wish they’d find some other creative ways to sell the stuff. However, I’ve never fully been able to comprehend the desire of anyone to work for the tobacco industry. I hear they pay fabulously well, though.
Nothing says Merry Christmas like gun fire. I couldn’t believe this set of pictures when I saw them – pretty weird ( and a thin baggy Santa – and where are the hot babes?- hey, if ya gonna do, it do it right ?). Sigh. Sadly, part of celebration for some around here involves shooting guns in the air…unfortunately the bullets do come down in unexpected places. Drives the cops crazy. Feliz navidad, ya’ll.
That sounds scary, Phil! Where do you live?
The photo cracked me up. So were they naughty or nice? That said, it’s ridiculous advertising.
It’s ridiculous, yes. I’m sure the babes would prefer to be thought of as naughty.
Commercialism for its sake will take us down yet (if it hasn’t already). Exploitation of women as subjects to aid sales is so common, unfortunately, that we mostly don’t even notice it. Sadly, they’ve picked up children now. And as you show, well-recognised traditions.
Anyhow, here’s some interesting trivia a friend shared this morning.
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_santa.html
Yes, even children aren’t off limits. And it’s difficult to believe that stereotypes are still being used to sell stuff. I hate the jewelry commercials showing women drooling over the big diamond her love just gave her, as though women are so easily distracted and won over by shiny things.
Thanks for the link, Priya! Yes, Santa has a long history in the advertising world of Coca-Cola!
After all is said and done, kids are growing up too fast. Not only in the US but everywhere. It’s tragic and the apathy of the masses is even more tragic. I pray people fall out of the hypnosis of advertisement and act as humans, not as programmed zombies.
I applaud and share you sentiments, SanaVd! Thank you for saying what needs to be said far more than it is.
it’s not just the advertisers. look at politicians (and others) and see how they’ve co-opted the flag and the cross. they get to say what the flag means and doesn’t mean, and they get to interpret what it means if you don’t wear one. they wear crosses, and they tell everyone else what religion is/should be/isn’t. even the constitution is fair game with these people. they wave it around, but very few of them have ever actually read it. in too many ways, we’ve become a country of symbols with no substance. it matters more what label you’re wearing than what you’ve been doing. you’re judged more by the car you drive than by where you’re going.
faux news will applaud pictures like the one you’ve posted at the top, and then whine about a war on xmas.
Politicians are among the worst! I’m an avid gun hater. I heard a program on NPR the other day – the interviewee was reporting that we have less violence in our society than we did decades ago. It’s gone down because we tolerate it less and have more laws against gun carrying and violent crime. I fear that the tide could turn if the NRA has it’s way and tries to make gun carrying seem normal and part of a noble tradition.
The older I get the more of a hum bug I am. I can blame my attitude largely on the “gimme” of the season. It comes from advertising, hijacked Christmas icons like the abhorrent photo profiled in your post, and too much holiday for too long a time. For me, the Holiday nuttiness is simply the manifestation of the worst of our society. Like many of your readers have already stated, while Rome burns, I try to look beyond the decadence to steal a little time with family and friends that finally get a little time off, away from the grind, to just sit around and reconnect.
All we need is a lot more people like you and my other readers to bring back the true spirit of the season. It can be done. During a full season’s onslaught of selling, the real meaning gets buried. But I have hope that it is still very much a part of what makes us human and it’s out there. Good words, elena!
I’m reminded of the opening episode of Mad Men…everyone is smoking, and they are trying to sell more Lucky Strikes. A few episodes later, at a kids party, a pregnant mother is smoking…my mouth fell open. But that’s what moms did back then. You are right about advertising being ‘pernicious’.
I was thinking of asking Santa for a salt rifle for Christmas…. but then I opted for the pepper grinder.
Women as sex objects? Sheesh, the last year of the marriage… the Ex objected to sex all the time… what’s the big deal?
This Christmas I am asking for new underwear… I put the last ones in the washing machine and the washing machine threw them back.
Advertising must sell, or I suppose it wouldn’t continue to exist. It makes you wonder if there were a law cutting Santa out of hoiday ads, if the myth of St. Nick would simply die away. Even the idea of stopping at every house in one night was pretty thin to me…and that was years ago when I still believed in magic. Now if I could find some age defying face cream that wasn’t advertised by a model with 20-year-old skin…I’d ask for that for Christmas.
Nah, you got it all wrong, Barb. These models are much older, they just LOOK 20 because they use this cream
And you are right, adverts are carefully aimed at their target groups, so I suppose the picture with the intimidated Santa between all these rifle heroines must have a certain appeal to gun lovers.
For me, Christmas has always been about peace, introspection and spending time with loved ones. I guess, at least the latter part is somehow being conveied through this picture.
Love, love your version of Christmas! But this photo, for me, is just all about guns –no peace on earth message coming through at all. Thanks for stopping over. Now I’m going to check out your blog!
Is that a threat SDS? See you on the other side
Absolutely, Barb. Yes. Advertising, if it’s done well, must sell or persuade someone to change their behavior. I just think it’s gross to twist an icon or symbol into selling something that’s not healthy for people. That’s gross manipulation.
Though I don’t believe in Santa (I don’t, really!) I still believe in the noncommercial side of the season. It’s there if you choose to see it. (If you ever get any of that face cream, please share!)