Geez. They're little kids. They also believe in the tooth fairy and the easter bunny. Get a grip on yourself and for once stop trying to analyse every single thing. You're telling me if one day you have a child and he/she asks you about Christmas and Santa you're going to tell them right from the get go that it is a commercial holiday and there is no Santa because you think it is a tool to trick them into behaving? Right. What a fun parent you'd turn out to be. And you accuse me of being shallow and vulgar? So be it. At least my kid's going to have fun this Christmas and have a healthy imagination.
Oh but Bells! How you contort my words!
1) I'm quite sure the original poster demanded an
analysis when he posed the question.
2) What I said does not imply that I will tell my child any such thing. Obviously no (normal) parent speaks to his child in such a way and when I spoke, I had in mind that I was not speaking to children. That this is obviously a strawman is obvious to anyone who is familiar with the form of that mode of argument.
You seem to imply that without the Santa mythology (perpetuated, in its current form and in the last century, by the Coca Cola company to accumulate profits), children can neither have a fun Christmas or a "healthy imagination". I assure you, anyone who reads the above will find the same conclusion.
So what if it's a commercial holiday. It's for the kids. Not for you. You can complain and grumble as much as you want about it being materialistic and commercial, but kids don't think that way. Aside from their birthday, it is the one time of the year they look forward to. You'd ruin that for them? Think of it as being a time to give something to someone else with love as a pure reason. We've also planned to take our son to the Salvation Army to give out some toys we bought for the needy kids and that's something we tend to make sure becomes a custom. Do you know why? Because every child deserves to have some wonder in their lives.
Here again I find that your argument fails, unfortunately. Do you realize what the significant point of your anecdote is: there is no hint of Santa Claus in taking your son on a trip to the Salvation Army. You show yourself that Santa Claus is not
necessary to bring wonder into the life of whatever needy child and yet you unconsciously omit the necessary conclusion and implication. I have said it above and I will quote myself since you have misconstrued me:
Neither of the words 'christmas' or 'birthday' were in my post. You seem to believe that I said anything about Christmas being commercialist or materialistic when in fact I NEVER said anything to the effect. That was not even in my
mind when I made the post. Thence I am at a loss to understand what your argument here is when you begin by asking "So what if it's a commercial holiday."
And to repeat myself again, I never said I would repeat anything for any child.
To expand on what I said before, I am quite sure this is the Ethics subforum. Therefore it is quite reasonable to assume ONLY that I was making an observation on the connection between ethics and Santa Clause. In no way did I imply that children should be 'deprived' of the Easter Bunny or what have you. In anticipation even of certain objections, I said
in specific: "If this is indeed a joyful thing, well, I suppose so.."
I suspect you misunderstood the scope of my message which was indeed very humble and
certainly not self righteous.
They can have both. And many do have both. I'd rather a child have a healthy imagination and feel wonder at some things than be so blind and uncaring for the world and those in it and become an analytical little twerp. I'd hope he keeps his childish wonder and imaginative belief at the world as long as possible. With all the bad things in the world and all the bad things kids are left open to in the media and every where else, why deny them something joyful, innocent, imaginative and simply fun?
I mean when was the last time you had fun? Because after reading your post, it seems to be a long time ago.
Let me begin by saying what I wrote to PJ was philosophically inclined since that is one of his enjoyments (as opposed to the general thought on ethics given to you and the OP)
Before I reply more openly, I must again disrobe the fallacy in your argument. EVEN IF I did attack Christmas and the suspension of belief in general as you (falsely) alledge, that does NOT imply that any child who shares like feeling is a) no longer going to have a healthy imagination, or b) become "an analytical twerp." If you think carefully about some of the more prominent and mirthful systematists and rationalists of our time, you will come to see what absurdity such a presumption leads to.
Again, I stress that what I claimed in my post is not tantamout to a call to "deny" anyone of anything. It was an observation and that alone.
But let us assume I did.
You have, aside from all your accusations, not once addressed what I actually said about the use and effect of Santa in relation to the children. And if you had taken time to consider my words, you would have seen that Santa can hardly be divorced from the two concepts of materialism and consumerism
especially as the child grows older.
I do like your closing 'I'm not going to end this without a poorly cloaked ad hominem' though.
; I'm quite certain I did not ridicule your childhood or otherwise drag any personal matters of your life-history into this. Perhaps then it is true that your childhood and/or adult life was "more fun" than mine ever could be and so you are in a better position to tell me about what is fun and what is not.
