Weird-News: Santa Quits Smoking

[ARNie]

Don't like a part of a story? Wait until the author's been dead for over a century, then publish the edit yourself...

Santa Claus is taking a step towards bettering his health and is putting his pipe away.

At least that's what publisher Grafton and Scratch have suggested after releasing a new edited version of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."

In the classic story Moore spoke of Santa with the "stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth/And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath."

Well not any more. Santa has gone smokeless after author and former smoker Pamela McColl, spent $200,000 to delete that verse in her self-published version.

The rest of the article at The Examiner:
http://www.examiner.com/article/santa-q ... -christmas


How does this make you feel?

[Bakura]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand another victim of political correctness and 'nanny-stating'.

[Clone]

I'm surprised this wasn't done already.

[Suichiro]

I don't see the issue. Someone invented the current idea of Santa. Someone decided that he should smoke. Now someone decided he shouldn't. He's fictional. Who the f- cares?

[Suicide]

The issue falls under, "why change it?" There is no reason too. None. So why do it? To push an agenda? Changing or censoring someone elses work (a classic no less) to push your own agenda is of course a reality but there shouldn't be any less protest against it.

There was no thought of selling pipes to children when the author wrote that line so it certainly isn't comparable to someone removing it because he doesn't like the idea of Santa smoking. If you don't like that then write YOUR OWN story of Santa givin' up the pipe or some shit. Don't try to change yesterday's culture. If you're that worried about it create a culture of your own for the now.

[Clone]

The issue falls under, "why change it?" There is no reason too. None. So why do it? To push an agenda? Changing or censoring someone elses work (a classic no less) to push your own agenda is of course a reality but there shouldn't be any less protest against it.

There was no thought of selling pipes to children when the author wrote that line so it certainly isn't comparable to someone removing it because he doesn't like the idea of Santa smoking. If you don't like that then write YOUR OWN story of Santa givin' up the pipe or some shit. Don't try to change yesterday's culture. If you're that worried about it create a culture of your own for the now.

You have to remember that this woman is making her own self published version. There's only going to be like 55,000 copies made, compared to the millions of copies of the original already out there. It's not like they're burning all the copies that mention Santa smoking a pipe. If someone wants to spend 200,000 dollars getting rid of a very insignificant part of a story, that's on them, as long as they acknowledge that another version exists.

[Suichiro]

If this was worded as a case against plagiarism, then I would care. It's not however. It's being presented as a case against overzealous anti-smoking forces. Smoking is bad, mmkay? I don't see the problem with arbitrarily deciding that a fictional character should put down the pipe that he's not known for using.

It's the tone of the entire thing that's stupid. Dodging a legitimate issue (plagiarism) over a non-issue. If anything, *that's* what people should be mad about.