St. Nick Scandal in Germany: Is Santa Claus a Nazi?

[Kellanved]

Christmas shoppers in Germany are horrified. Across the country, models of Santa Claus in shop windows appear to be giving the Nazi salute. Some chains have already removed them from the shelves.

If Santa Claus were to move away from the North Pole to one of the more populated parts of the world, what political party would he support? His "peace on Earth" message might indicate a left-of-center stance. But what about his Big Brother ("He knows when you've been sleeping. He knows when you're awake) tendencies? Sounds a lot like the Republicans in the United States these days.

Or maybe he's a fascist? That, at least, is what a report in the Thursday issue of the tabloid Bild seems to indicate. Germans shopping for Christmas trinkets have been shocked recently to discover row upon row of Santa Clauses looking to all the world as if they are giving the Hitler salute -- right arm, straight as an arrow, raised skyward. Never mind that St. Nick is carrying a bag of toys and wearing a silly red hat complete with a white pom-pom. Shoppers were sure -- these Santas were Nazis.

Readers of Germany's largest-circulation paper have reported seeing the saluting St. Nicks in a number of shops around the country. Indeed, one of Germany's largest drug stores, Rossmann, even went so far as to take the offending Santas off the shelves.
...
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,451645,00.html

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,749340,00.jpg

[XNASA]

1. Tell me something I don't already know.

;)


:hi:

[Bassic]

2. Do they really look like that or did the paper mess around

with the picture? Because if they really look like that, I wonder who could have missed that.

[Orsino]

3. Of course he's a fascist...

...he was invented by Coke.

[underpants]

He's not angry he's saying "I know you I know you"

:bounce:

[hedgehog]

4. It would make sense if these Santas were imported from China

Over the years, I've seen some hilarious stuff come out that reflects some confusion about Western holiday customs.

[Connonym]

5. In the Dutch version of Sinterklaas, Santa is a slave owner

Instead of elves, SinterKlaas has black slaves as his helpers.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

6. They are NOT black slaves

they are workers who are sent up and down chimneys, which is why they are black.

[Connonym]

9. Not according to my friend from the Netherlands

:shrug:

ETA: It is a very old legend and the Dutch were heavily involved in slave trading so I'm inclined to believe the slave bit. I can see why they'd want to revise that to say they are soot covered.

[Auggie]

7. He could be telling us to watch out for reindeer droppings

[trof]

8. Please don't tell O'Lielly.

You know how he gets about that shit.

[JVS]

10. Es lebe Knecht Ruprecht!

[tigereye]

11. Coule he be reaching for something or pointing out the Star of

Bethlehem? (or am I being politically naive?) ;)

[RubyDuby in GA]

12. Maybe not a Nazi, but a racist opportunist completely!

According to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa, and the other reindeers for that matter, want nothing to do with Rudolph when they find out his nose is "different." They label him a freak and ostracize him from their group (or they wouldn't let him join in any reindeer games - sonsbitches).

BUT when it becomes clear that he can be helpful to them when they have a serious problem, well then, Rudolph is welcomed back with open arms.

I'm sad to say that Santa and his reindeers are Republicans. :cry:

[DainBramaged]

13. Has to be a Fox/Sky news plot

[NoPasaran]

14. Santa Claus wears a red suit, he's a communist

Who would give toys away to all the good boys and girls except a bonafide Marxist?

(Don't tell Bill O'Reilly!)

[Kali]

15. St. Nick was from Turkey wasn't he?