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Post by VirtualStranger on Dec 8, 2011 2:46:41 GMT -5
The problem is, she has no right that Santa Clause is not real, knowing fully well that children who believed in him were watching television. It should be up to the parents to decide when to tell their children the truth, not some news anchor who believes that children should stop believing in him as soon as they can talk. Delusions? How about letting kids be kids for as long as they can, Vene? Real life is going to bite you in the ass before you know it, so why crush children's dreams? And if you think no kids saw it because it was nine o'clock, news, think again. I know lots of kids who like sitting up to watch the news that late.  |
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Post by nightangel1282 on Dec 8, 2011 3:40:51 GMT -5
Fine. We'll just have to agree to disagree. I think the news anchor was an inconsiderate, heartless bitch who has no regards for the feelings of children and their parents. You disagree. We'll leave it at that.
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Post by Haseen on Dec 8, 2011 13:46:43 GMT -5
It's hard to get worked up over this. It may be a bit dickish, but it isn't much different than disagreeing with someone else's religious beliefs. Of all the things FOX "forces people to believe", that's a silly one to get worked up over.
Childhood is over? If finding out Santa isn't real will instantly end childhood, we should be telling it to as many politicians as possible.
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Post by Ranger Joe on Dec 9, 2011 9:26:31 GMT -5
Eh, who cares. We use Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny as an example of believing in ridiculous things when arguing with Fundies. What's wrong with kids knowing that it was their parents all along? When I found out Santa wasn't real I was about 5. I felt hurt that my parents lied to me.
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Post by The_L on Dec 9, 2011 16:34:18 GMT -5
So NOW, Fox decides to be honest??? My thoughts exactly. Also, notice that they can't be honest about something that WON'T crush the dreams of small children. I mean, think about it. Grownups playing along with the Santa story was part of the game. It really was all a game, and by playing, you got a few extra presents and a stocking full of candy. Most of us caught on at an early age that Santa wasn't real, but we played along with the game because it was fun to pretend. When a grown-up, especially a news-anchor grown-up, blatantly refuses to play the Santa game, it's like someone sucked half the fun out of Christmas. |
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Post by Shane for Wax on Dec 9, 2011 23:34:40 GMT -5
I'm upset for two reasons:
1) I'd prefer to have the kids told face-to-face by their own parents, not a god damn fox news anchor.
2) That Fox News found this worthy of news and to be truthful about.
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Post by Dragon Zachski on Dec 9, 2011 23:52:51 GMT -5
Actually, I think there's something good about telling the Santa myth to your children as if it was fact. It teaches an important life lesson.
When they DO find out, it teaches them to be skeptical. If even their parents can lie to them, then anyone can lie to them, and so they learn to approach things from that perspective.
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Post by Art Vandelay on Dec 9, 2011 23:55:28 GMT -5
Actually, I think there's something good about telling the Santa myth to your children as if it was fact. It teaches an important life lesson. When they DO find out, it teaches them to be skeptical. If even their parents can lie to them, then anyone can lie to them, and so they learn to approach things from that perspective. That's a very optimistic view of children's critical thinking skills to assume such an idea would cross their minds. |
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Post by Dragon Zachski on Dec 10, 2011 1:34:48 GMT -5
Actually, I think there's something good about telling the Santa myth to your children as if it was fact. It teaches an important life lesson. When they DO find out, it teaches them to be skeptical. If even their parents can lie to them, then anyone can lie to them, and so they learn to approach things from that perspective. That's a very optimistic view of children's critical thinking skills to assume such an idea would cross their minds. If your parents making you believe Santa Claus exists is the worst thing to happen in your childhood, you've had a good childhood. Of course I'm not trying to say all children would learn from it. I'm just saying there's a potential, positive, practical application to it. |
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Post by Art Vandelay on Dec 10, 2011 1:52:55 GMT -5
Of course I'm not trying to say all children would learn from it. I'm just saying there's a potential, positive, practical application to it. I'm not denying that, I'm just saying that knowing the average intelligence of kids (particularly the ones who don't seem to think that anything may be off regarding the whole Santa business), unless you spelled it out for them, the idea that anyone can lie to them would go flying over their heads. |
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Post by Yla on Dec 10, 2011 18:55:58 GMT -5
Actually, I think there's something good about telling the Santa myth to your children as if it was fact. It teaches an important life lesson. When they DO find out, it teaches them to be skeptical. If even their parents can lie to them, then anyone can lie to them, and so they learn to approach things from that perspective. Maybe moreso, it's a heavy blow to the trust they have towards their parents. If you tell them about Santa as fact, it is inevitable that sooner or later, they will find out that you lied to them. I think children being able to trust their parents is a hundred times more important than St. Nicholas and the Easter Bunny put together. So my opinion: if you tell them about Santa, do not present it as fact. Children are being told stories all the time, and they learn quickly to distinguish fiction from fact, and to distinguish fiction from lie. |
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Post by brendanrizzo on Dec 10, 2011 20:24:50 GMT -5
I have lost all respect for Nightangel. This is ridiculous. You're acting just like the hysterical fundies who get worked up over what they think the "liberal atheist conspiracy" is indoctrinating children to believe.
I can't believe that I would ever in my life defend Fox News, but why do I have a feeling that if any other news station had said this, the OP would be praising them for promoting critical thinking? Double standards are even worse when the side that is supposed to hold the moral high ground does them.
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Post by Tiberius on Dec 10, 2011 22:15:26 GMT -5
Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Santa isn't real?  Joking aside, I don't see the big deal here. First off, News is supposed to report on reality, as others have said. You can't expect everyone to play along with some groups beliefs, no more than you should expect everyone to pretend to be Christian to avoid offending Christians, or pretend to be practicing Muslims, or Hindus, or whatever. Also. I am reminded of the chick tract where a kid decides to commit mass murder because Santa isn't real. www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1033/1033_01.asp |
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Post by Dragon Zachski on Dec 11, 2011 1:24:05 GMT -5
I have lost all respect for Nightangel. This is ridiculous. You're acting just like the hysterical fundies who get worked up over what they think the "liberal atheist conspiracy" is indoctrinating children to believe. I can't believe that I would ever in my life defend Fox News, but why do I have a feeling that if any other news station had said this, the OP would be praising them for promoting critical thinking? Double standards are even worse when the side that is supposed to hold the moral high ground does them. Uhm... Overreacting to an overreaction much? |
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Post by Wykked Wytch on Dec 11, 2011 1:43:41 GMT -5
That news anchor knows in his heart that Santa exists, but he's too afraid to admit to the consequences of the spirit of giving and holiday cheer! He probably likes to steal candy from babies and pay his child worker servants criminally low wages. "The fool hath said in his heart there is no Santa!"
Wait, wait, wait. This thread was serious?
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