Well-meaning but misguided grinches try to kill Apple Store Christmas

I don't have a whole lot of "things." But one of the things I can't do without is my iPod. I listen to it all day at work and at the gym to keep me focuses. I listen in the car on the way home and in crowded shops to shield myself from stress. In a way, the iPod helps keep me sane.

Would these people would rather I sing to myself?

What a stupid way to waste time at the holidays - they could have been volunteering at a soup kitchen, or an orphanage, or a women's shelter. Instead, "sing songs to each other"? What the hell does this even mean?

I'm consistently amazed by how some people seem to be really threatened or offended by the iPod as a cultural device. We've had portable music before, hippies - it's really no different than the walkman or discman, except that the media is better.

I do think there's a genuine point behind concerns regarding a 'consumer culture' (i.e. read the book Affluenza). Yet when people actually protest about it, it's embarrassing because as far as I know, there isn't a way to get the idea across without it being misunderstood. Oh well.

[Amusing though, isn't it ... how TUAW and Daring Fireball poked fun at Microsoft for their screw up with an image, and then TUAW has one of its own, only except it's marijuana and PR consciousness?]

Just to clear my name, when the post was first added, it did feature an illustration of a mean-looking santa smoking a LARGE marijuana cigarette. I had seen this illustration on concert posters in the past.

Obviously, Erica (or someone else) changed the photo between the time when I posted and 12:49P, when Vicki posted and told us all that the photo was from Bad Santa.

Okay, that's all.

er.. the first few comments are referring to an illustration that has since been replaced with this promo photo (in case the comments weren't making sense to anyone).

Damn hippies

a) the TUAW pic has nothing to do with SAEC and b) has anyone bothered to read the actual article?. I thought it rather amusing and they seemed like a bunch of people trying to make a serious point without taking themselves to seriously in the process.

They aren't insisting that everyone suddenly gives away all their toys and go live in a forest just that we think a bit harder about our consumption.

The only real grumps I saw in the article where the Apple store staff who seemed to be rather unfestive if not paranoid as they seemed to think it was a marketing stunt. Oh well merry xmas, bah humbug!

The picture is from a movie called "Bad Santa", hence the connection to the idiots poorly dressed as Santa thinking that they are going to hold people back from buying their iPods. "Sing your songs to each other"? They probably were on drugs to believe that anyone would fall for that line...

More clever Apple advertising! Apple has to tone down the high cost, expensive store angle. So they hired clowns to protest and make Apple seem like a victim. More good media coverage!

I was a bit confused about the picture, too. Maybe she’s trying to say that they should smoke a fatty to chill out? You know, instead of being ridiculous people.