Capitalist Claus
This really didn’t turn out as well as I thought it would.
The drawing’s decent, but the gag just doesn’t seem to quite be hitting. I think a large part of that might be that it’s only vaguely topical, instead of being connected to a specific person or event.
Some readers will probably recognize that I’ve borrowed a recurring device here from Tim Kreider, who draws The Pain. This cartoon is basically a poor imitation of his, which have included Jesus vs. Jeezus, Americans vs. ‘Muricans, and my favorite (as well as everyone else’s, evidently), Science vs. Norse Mythology.
My dissatisfaction with this cartoon probably has a lot to do with this, actually–there’s no way I could do any kind of gag Tim Kreider’s done regularly better or even as well as he has. My initial idea here was just “What if Santa Claus were more overtly capitalist,” and I figured this would be the best way to frame it. Unfortunately, in addition to being an imitation of somebody else’s better gags, this also has the unintentional side-effect of making Capitalist Santa look pretty cool, relative to regular Santa’s saccharinity, instead of just making him look selfish and threatening.
Anyway, I hope this has at least introduced a few people to Kreider’s cartoons, if nothing else. I encourage anybody that’s reading this to visit his website and check them out.
7 Responses to “Capitalist Claus”
Also, “monitor” is the right spelling for both the noun and the verb.
Thanks. I noticed that I’d made that mistake shortly after I’d first written it down, but then I forgot to fix it.
The idea of a Marxist society is very alluring. In today’s world of freedom and fairness, the notion of everyone being completely equal, even if this means taking from the rich and giving to the poor, seems just; however, the defect in Marxism is obvious. It is dependent on a type of human nature that is hard to come by. For Marxism to work, very little greed and jealosy can exist and people must have a general feeling of charity and a willingness to work their hardest for the good of everyone. These are obviously not common traits. Marxism could also work if those who have the greatest abilities and those who work the hardest are satisfied with rewards equivalent to those with lesser abilities and those who don’t work hard at all. This is also very unlikely. Marxism undoubtedly leads to free riding and slacking.
On the other hand, capitalism utilizes the willpower of individuals, especially entrepreneurs, to foment economic activity. Capitalism is based on the assumption that individuals operate based on self interest; however, by doing so they not only help themselves, but also propel others towards economic success. As Adam Smith put it, “by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for society that it was no part of his intention. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it.”
I think the reason that this joke kinda falls flat is because Santa Claus in his present form is already such a capitalist icon. The creation of “Capitalist Claus” merely seems redundant, an even more ridiculous interpretation of a symbol of consumerism.
That, and you really did make him look cool.
o_O
o_O Er, okay. So, uh, about that Time Cube….
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