Courrielche is active in the climate change movement . He participated in the investigation of Climatic Research Unit email controversy ( " Climategate " ) at the University of East Anglia , and claimed that the affair " triggered the death of unconditional trust in the scientific peer-review process , and the maturing of a new movement of peer-to-peer review . " In 2015 , Courrielche wrote a long-form story " St. Nicholas : The Birth Of A Social Weapon " on the origin of Santa Claus and introduced the concept of a " social weapon " - a packaged idea , message , or product that is used by an individual or group to advance their cause . Courrielche argued that New York City elites crafted Santa Claus from St. Nicholas , a widely known patron saint , to stabilize a city plagued by annual misbehavior every December . Santa Claus was then used as a " social weapon " by merchants , craftsman , city rulers , parents , newspapers , and others to benefit their endeavors . The essay was added to the St. Nicholas Center 's resource on the Origin of Santa Claus
Climatic Research Unit email controversy
Climatic Research Unit email controversy
Patrick Courrielche