On any other year, New York would collectively roll our eyes and the media would skewer another aimless, zero-value SantaCon as it stumbled through the city.
However, this year was a little different. The 2014 date that the drunk Santas event also happened to fall on the same day that thousands of New Yorkers were to march across the city for the Millions March, a massive protest calling for awareness, change, and justice in the wake of non-indictments for the police officers that killed Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
Despite what many may think, there was no better day for Santa Con than to be happening on the same day as the Millions March.
The benefit of having both events happening in unison provides us a unique opportunity to compare and contrast in real time. When the Millions March and Santa Con can be laid next to one another, the disposition couldn’t be stronger; a contrast of priorities.
You have one event where angry and passionate marchers took to the street to right social wrongs and the other had no statement other than to dress up and day drink. In one direction, protesters for social change marched up Fifth Avenue and going in the opposite direction, Santa Con participants walked on the outer sidewalks in their holiday costumes.
I might be a little too naive about humankind, but I was hopeful that Santa Conners would be able to see those obvious distinctions and put their future participation in perspective.