When did we stop believing in Santa Claus

[HIGHERBEAM]

Some great posting and I think one of the lessons we learn from Santa Claus's myth is to believe in the kindness of people we have never met and to show our children that it is not all doom and gloom out there and to respect other people as you never know who may or may not be Santa Claus so treat all people with the same respect you expect to be treated with.

[mellie]

Some great posting and I think one of the lessons we learn from Santa Claus's myth is to believe in the kindness of people we have never met and to show our children that it is not all doom and gloom out there and to respect other people as you never know who may or may not be Santa Claus so treat all people with the same respect you expect to be treated with.

Okeeey, thanks for sharing, I knew there had to be a moral to the story there somewhere, just wish you could have somehow shared this with us before you began eating those pretty little lollies you found in a tiny little bag at the bus stop.

Click your heels together, give us a few, we might even believe you are in the right forum if we try hard enough.

[boxy]

... it seems I'm not the only one who thinks mythical characters tarnish parents' credibility.

Now, I find this an interesting idea. In a time before consumerism, I can see this being a reason to invent such a ridiculous character. Skeptisism, even of your most trusted source of information, is a good and worthwhile trait to train into a child.

jeepers... if parents loose cred because they engage a child's imagination through fantasy and innocent, harmless lies, then no human has credibility since lies and myth are a part and parcel of the human journey.

Isn't that what I said? except I dont view it as a negative.

also, skeptisism is great for argumentation but does nothing for imagination. Where would the fanatsy/ sci fi reading and writing community be if all the world were skeptics. Book reviews, if sci fi and fantasy existed would be filled with negative discussion of the lack of feasibility entailed with the novel premises.

I think imagination, myth and fable is more important to the child and the arts than is skeptisism, which is better placed within the hard sciences.

You can be skeptical, yet remain imaginative, and accept poetic licence for what it's worth. It says nothing about accepting the allegoric message of a fantasy.

[Outlaw Yogi]

Don't worry, sooner or later social engineers will decide Santa is politically incorrect ... then disseminate demonising accounts of sweat-shop conditions for elves ... and how Santa encourages anti-social behaviour by entering premises via unconventional means and flying without a pilots license.

[boxy]

An obvious terrorist suspect, especially when considering his crossing of national borders without going through official check-points

[HIGHERBEAM]

Don't worry, sooner or later social engineers will decide Santa is politically incorrect ... then disseminate demonising accounts of sweat-shop conditions for elves ... and how Santa encourages anti-social behaviour by entering premises via unconventional means and flying without a pilots license.

It will not be long as they teach " Baa Baa Rainbow sheep" at kindergardens and schools.
Do-gooders have outlawed Noddy and Big ears,Humphrey-be bear,where does it end.Interdenominational Rabbit,The person in the white suit not red as that may offend the native american indian handing out presents at a non religious day in December.

[boxy]

It will not be long as they teach " Baa Baa Rainbow sheep" at kindergardens and schools.

Really? At how many "kindergardens and schools"?

[HIGHERBEAM]

Qld schools have started teaching in NTH Qld Baa Baa Rainbow sheep and it has spread

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/ra ... 6012652386

http://krampus.xanga.com/736425350/item/

[boxy]

lol... from the news article...

Some schools in Britain have banned the song for being racist, but Pelicans Innisfail Child Care allows children to sing about black sheep or rainbow sheep.

Director Pam McLaughlin said some teachers sang the changed lyrics, and some children already knew the changes.

"We just go with whatever the children want," Ms McLaughlin said.

"The kids are just singing and having fun. Some sing black sheep, some sing rainbow sheep. It's just a song.

"We don't have anything that says, 'You have to sing it this way'."

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/ra ... z1G0DcbyI9

[Sappho]

So why dont we just teach our children to believe in Santa Claus.

Because believing in Santa Claus and other mythical juju'ssss (ie God) is what got us into this clusterfuck in the first place. There's no magic wand to make it right so we have to fix it ourselves and it would've been better if we didn't have fairy tales to fall back on in the first place.

Ok, so Tom, what city, state and national secular celebrations do we have for children that do not engage the lies of fantasy?

Humans need for pomp and ceremony... it's there is our past and present... so where are the alternatives for kids?

@ boxy, if skeptic imagination for children is possible without the use of supposedly self aware and talking animals, androids, plants, planets and rocks, why is it not being explored? You see a real skeptic would discourage fantasy, because the smaller children have a limited understanding of reality and fantasy, so will easily believe that animals, plants, rocks etc.. really do talk and think for themselves... unless told otherwise by the kill joy who doesn't mind seeing children crying with the disappointment of having their illusions shattered. For the skeptic, to use artifice on the gullible is wrong. Reality rules. Materialism rules. Disneyland etc is wrong therefore.