I’m a little critical towards you. I’m sitting here in my childhood home (sounds wierd to write considering I only moved away this summer) thinking about the day called christmas. A day to honor you, be kind to the world. I cannot help but feeling that this is a very powerful religion that even atheists (like me) cannot say no to. Yet, I am allowed to question a few things…
First, I actually don’t mind you being white and all since you are from the north and I’ve kinda even heard you are finnish. But that gives you a responsibility! Being a white male gives you a lot of free passes. If you would have been a women, or african or asian – or an african-asian muslim woman, would you have been just as loved as you are now? If you are all that magical, maybe you should change your shape for a year or two to represent the diversity of the world. I mean Mrs Clause, what’s she doing? I bet she isnt just keeping you fed and cheers you on, what about those nights when you feel it’s all too overwhelming and you just want to give up? I bet she’s the one putting another letter in your hand, telling you it’s all going to be better. I bet she nurses you when you are sick while she silently represses her own cold for your sake. Does she get any credit?
Second, naughty and nice? Are you serious? Are you really gonna judge CHILDREN for being naughty and nice? Lets take a look in the mirror shall we? It must be soooo hard open all those letters you get and then let the elves make all the toys. You know, here on earth we have kind of the same concept, it’s called using cheap labour in a country far far away to work til they die so we can make desant money and get all the cred for it. Do you give your elves any health care benefits? What’s their salary? Is it in general a sustainable livelihood they experience? If someone gets sick do you simply just recplace him or her with someone else not caring about the sick elfs destiny? Children usually act like children. Adults on the other hand. Adults like you. It’s us. We are the ones who need a naughty or nice list and we all need to be ashamed. We have the power to actually make small change and yet we are all so materialistic we don’t even care someone lost a finger so we could buy nice things, or someone else now has a pair of damaged lungs due to all the pesticides he gets from making us coffee beans.
I just… I don’t even know what I want to say with this. Just give the elves some cred, you know? Just stop telling people stupid clishés of what christmas is about and try to print in to practise what humanity should be about instead. Merry christmas to anyone who cares about this day, and thank you everyone involved in making the gifts I’m about to recieve. One day I’ll have the research money and time to follow a product from start to finsih. I’m coming to hear the story of the ”elves”. Just wait and see, Santa’s days as a one single hero is about to be replaced.
Loads of love from Emilie
bokhandlarn 