You can find out a lot about people by asking them what they tell their children about Santa Claus. Many people tell children that Santa only leaves presents for "good" or "nice" children. The same people will tell you that they never would stoop to bribing children, as it ruins their characters. They may tell children that Santa leaves coal for bad children, or that Santa won't leave them presents if they are naughty. The same people will deny that they threaten children idly, as that would also ruin their characters.
What people tell children about Santa is likely to be philosophically similar to what they tell children about God. Many parents raise children to believe that God punishes naughty children and rewards good ones--the concept of "naughty" or "good" being at the whim of parents, Santa, or God, and not based on an actual code of ethics or behavior. "God" may be just another part of a parental arsenal of bribes, and threats, or rewards and punishments.
No comments:
Post a Comment