Children certainly need healthy role models. But is Santa a role model to begin with? Tantillo persuades that Santa is enough of a role model that children are influenced by him. After all, Santa has qualities that could be desirable in a child’s eyes. Although some of this is speculative, his most interesting qualities include supernatural powers, super-human speed, a workshop of elves, flying reindeer, omniscience, and the ability to conceive any toy desirable. On paper, his powers look like something from a graphic novel.
With all this in mind, we can conclude that Santa can be a child’s idol. So far Tantillo has a point, but his weight problem is still the main focus here. Until a cure-all solution is discovered there will always be fat people. Tantillo comes close to addressing the problem, but “fatness” isn’t the true issue here. Lack of activity and clogged arteries are what ultimately catch up to us, but just being overweight is not the issue, and there are plenty of examples to support this.
Athletics are not impervious to overweight participants who are also successful. Eric “Butterbean” Esch, for example, is a professional heavyweight boxer who has carried on a long and successful career out of his weight. His entertainment value alone makes his matches worth watching. However his skills in the ring are notoriously dangerous and he has plenty of official victories to prove it.
