The scary thing is in this day, we will not know if the elf has a video camera in it. I am not sure that an elf without a camera does any more harm than parents saying Santa always knows if you've been bad or good. But I do agree with you analogy on TV shows. I have thought the same thing about Person of Interest. I also feel that all the cop shows where they break into a home without a warrant are conditioning people to accept that when the bad guys are really bad.

I hate the Elf. If that isn't a way to condition children to live under surveillance, I'll eat one of them. In the personal experience realm, My Grandma had a rubber tree plant on her front porch that she treasured. When I was a little kid she warned me not to touch it, that it was poison and would make me very sick. Whenever she saw me anywhere near the @#$#% plant she would warn me off. I got to become fearful of the potted monster. For years I avoided getting anywhere near a potted plant. Today, I love my wife's garden, filled with flowers and beautiful bushes and shrubs -- but no potted plants. Some kids had nightmares about monsters under the bed or in the closet. My monsters were always plants that looked like rubber tree plants coming after me. When I was a teen, I went to see a movie about monster plants called "The Day Of The Triffids" and it was all I could do to keep from running out of the theater. So, watch out about the Shelf Elf, it could make your kids actually hate Christmas.

I thought that the tv series 'Person of Interest' was a warning about the surveillance state.

I would think it would have the opposite effect. At some point each of those kids will look at the elf and realize: (1) the elf doesn't really surveil anything; (2) even where cameras exist they're seldom looked at; (3) the whole notion of divine retribution (either Hell or karma) is completely phony; and (4) even government has trouble discovering or punishing most acts it forbids (and deserves to have that trouble). Now Junior is more than halfway to becoming one of us.

If I went to a friend's house with one of these cursed items on the shelf, I would seriously have to rethink said friendship carefully... In addition to the aquiesence to a surveillance state, it's also going yet another step in pushing off the parental responsibility to someone (or in this case, something) else...

Not to mention the severe damage to a kids psyche of always being watched over... E-w-w-w-w...

this is the surveillance state replacing God, knowing all --
God is passé, and we owe our allegiance to the state,
now, after all !!! -- j

Ha ha CircuitGuy has it right: "The elf watches you secretly, reports it to Santa, and if Santa approves, he'll give you stuff without working for it."
Being good is such hard work. Let the kids learn they get something for it. Then when they are older they will believe they are entitled, just because they didn’t steal it.

The elf watches you secretly, reports it to Santa, and if Santa approves, he'll give you stuff without working for it.