Posts Tagged ‘prophesy’
Prophesy for Profit
One day, every child learns that Father Christmas doesn’t exist, but how do you recover from discovering that he was put to work as a Coca-Cola poster boy? Hark ye! It wasn’t singing angels heralding the birth of our lord but dancing Santas, festive bargains and Christmas number ones, followed by specials on weight loss plans and detox tea.
I can cope with shattered dreams as well as the next man who grew up in the 80s, but what about dreams repackaged and sold back to me? Look closely, children of the nightmare. Shining lights in toy shop windows guide wide-eyed wonder to plastic tack moulded in toxic sweat shops. We adore children with kingly gifts, making a pilgrimage into debt as we seed them with our greed. This is mythology is at the mercy of the market, folklore flogged by Snow White Barbie and the seven Disney dwarves, Satan’s claws deep into Santa Claus.
Our yearly celebration of unbridled capitalism leaves Xmas trees discarded in the street. It generates enough wrapping paper to cover Guernsey. It generates enough moolah for British toy companies to be registered in Guernsey, but not enough goodwill for them to pay British tax. Mary trekked to Bethlehem to pay her taxes, and gave birth in a stable. Tesco trekked offshore to evade taxes, and NHS maternity beds will be cut in 2012 as they were in 2011. Read the rest of this entry »
