Key Takeaways:
– Alex Jones suggests that Coca-Cola’s branding of Santa Claus has paved the way for modern-day propaganda.
– The company transformed Christmas from a family-centric holiday into a commercial event, according to Jones.
– This process of manipulation mirrors current PR tactics used to imprint social beliefs.
– Jones and author Joe Kovacs suggest sinister biblical links to Santa Claus traditions.
Unveiling the Coca-Cola – Santa Connection
Long before the jingle of bells and the clatter of reindeer hooves became synonymous with the holiday season, Christmas was a low-key family affair. Speaking in a video message, Infowars show host Alex Jones explained how the soft-drink company Coca-Cola reshaped the public image of Santa Claus, and in the process, changed how we celebrate Christmas forever.
In his night before Christmas Eve video, Jones drew parallels between how Coca-Coca’s shaping of Santa Claus has influenced the manner of modern-style propaganda. According to him, the mythical figure we’ve come to love was largely a creation of this famed soda giant.
The Transformation of Santa and Christmas
Once upon a time, Christmas was mostly about spending time with family, visiting church, and having a meal together. The idea of gifting wasn’t a significant part of the holiday. But Coca-Cola changed all of that.
According to Jones, Coca-Cola popularized the whole concept of Santa Claus, his reindeer, and even Rudolph with his famous red nose. With a robust advertising campaign, they created stories about Santa coming down the chimney and gifting presents, effectively shifting the focus of Christmas from its religious origins to a more consumer-centric holiday.
Understanding the Lingering Impact
But why does this matter? Jones suggests that this change displaced the original values of Christmas, including the focus on Christ, family, and faith. The reshaped holiday began an era of feeding lies in the guise of children’s fables. Accepting these lies, as per Jones, sets a precedent for accepting more serious manipulations to our social understandings.
Jones points out that it’s not about judging parents for keeping the Santa myth alive with their kids. It’s more about the realization that once we accept one deception, we can easily be swayed to accept others like the denial of basic biological facts or requirements.
An Unsettling Connection in History
Jones’ views are further reinforced by best-selling Christian author Joe Kovacs’ books. Kovacs’ explores the evolution of Santa Claus since the 1800s in his book “Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You’ve Never Been Told.” Kovacs states that the familiar image of the jolly, rotund man in red and white was hugely helped by Coca-Cola’s marketing campaigns in the early 20th century.
In his sequel, Kovacs delves into Biblical history, connecting Santa-related traditions to a horrific past of child sacrifices to a pagan, false God named Molech.
Uncovering the Unthinkable
According to Kovacs, the traditions surrounding Santa closely mirror the grim practices of past societies who drowned out the screams of their children being sacrificed in fire with music and bells. Though shocking, these tales illustrate the manipulative capacity of cultural norms, and illustrate how even a jovial figure like Santa can emerge from a history of horror.
In conclusion, understanding how Coca-Cola’s interpretation of Santa Claus has laid the groundwork for modern propaganda is essential. Recognizing the process of manipulation can help us be more critical and careful about the traditions and norms we accept and pass on. As Jones concluded, it’s not about shunning the Santa legend, but about understanding that beneath charming stories may lie powerful mechanisms of manipulation.