New York Daily Photo Analytics

Monday, December 10, 2007

Surly Santas

While walking in the Village with a friend and arriving at the intersection of MacDougal and Bleecker Streets, we were unexpectedly besieged by a gang of Santas - I would say group, however their demeanor and ensuing conversation with a panhandler gave them more of a rude, frat boys feel than the benevolent, generous spirit we associate with Santa. The conversation between one of the Santas and the panhandler went something like this:
Panhandler : "Oh good - Santas, Christmas Spirit. Can you spare a quarter?"
Santa: "Get it together brother."
Panhandler: "You get it together!"
We assumed these guys were in costume and not individuals who actually work as Santas somewhere - that would be a little disheartening - I think one would expect the dialog to be more courteous even coming from someone who is not Santa. Was this Christmas spirit, New York Style, or was this Santa perhaps more progressive in his thinking? That he felt that giving in this type of circumstance was, in the parlance of the modern psychotherapeutic community, being an enabler. Like the old saying: "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life."
In researching this saying I came across some variations:
Teach a man to fish and he learns to covet your boat.
Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Give a man a fishing rod and he'll break it in two for firewood - or exchange it for a fish.
Give a man a fish, and he'll wonder what you want from him.
Build a man a fire, and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life.
Give a man a crab and it will pinch his fingers. Teach a man to crab and he'll complain about being pinched.
Give a man a boil and he'll just get sore. Teach a man to boil and he'll be able to make his own tea.
Give a man a slide and he'll want a microscope. Teach a man to slide and he'll want a playground.
Teach a man to fish, and you introduce another competitor into the overcrowded fishing
industry. Give a man a fish, and you stimulate demand for your product.
Give a man a fly and he'll think you're an idiot. Teach a man to fly and he'll end by looking down on you.
Give a man a fish and he'll have dinner. Teach a man to fish and he'll be late for dinner.
Teach him to fish and he'll sit in a boat drinking beer all day.

Credit for these quotes and more humor can be found at the site Halfbakery.com

11 comments:

Cari said...

If this was on Saturday, most likely the gang was participating in SantaCon.

http://www.santacon.com/

indieperfumes said...

Wow, SantaCon, have to look into that. Pretty funny.

Anonymous said...

Amusant cet article ! Santacon est une idée qui n'a pas encore atteint Paris !

Lorelai said...

i check out your daily photo everyday and i am always amazed at how something like a Santa Claus gang can send you researching old sayings...it's fascinating! you have truly mastered photo blogging.

Jim Klenke said...

How funny, I think I would cross to the other side of the street.

Bergson said...

Yesterday in Ireland 12000 Santas Claus met to enter in Guiness Book

marley said...

Great photo! Like the Santa with the map - Is he looking for Lapland?! Love the variations of the saying, very funny :)

Brian Dubé said...

cari - thanks - I had never heard of SantaCon.
lorelai - thanks. I never know where the writing will take me. There are days when I am sure the text will be short and I have little to write. Then I find an interesting unexpected turn and voila!

• Eliane • said...

OK, I have to read that Santa Con article. Saturday night I bumped into Santa Claus on the Upper East Side. He was drunk and did not even apologize. I am glad you posted this because confessing this anywhere else seems as if admitting seing pink elephants.
Your post was very funny by the way.

Annie said...

There's cynicism everywhere, I guess, even at Christmastime.

Anonymous said...

Brian thanks for the wisdom.
In New Haven - "Teach a man to fish and you'll always have an alibi"