The Santa Claus Myth is Beneficial (On Balance)

Thanks to 9space for what will undoubtedly be a fun, whimsical, and childish (in a good way) debate. I will present my case at this time, reserving my rebuttals for next round.THE RESOLUTIONThe topic is asking us the Santa Myth beneficial. Importantly, it does not ask whether the myth is beneficial for children, but merely whether the myth is beneficial in general. We can also assume, I think fairly reasonable, that "beneficial" denotes a net benefit.ARGUMENTS1.0 Santa Claus is a Positive Role ModelFirst, what is a positive role model? "A positive role model carries out a role demonstrating values, ways of thinking and acting, which are considered good in that role." [1] Simply put, a positive role model is something that demonstrates desired traits, such as a strong work ethic, creativity, friendliness, empathy, and so forth.1.1 The Importance of Role ModelsPsychology has made incredible strides in showing the impact of observational and modeling on learning, including on learning moral values. Albert Bandura did this perhaps most famously in his Bobo Doll Experiment, wherein he illustrated how children who witnessed aggressive actions were more likely to act aggressively themselves. [2] It can be posited that our ability to mirror activities, ideas, etc. of others has roots in our human evolutionary processes, in that learning via modeling is "likely a survival function designed to help us to mimic the traits of those successful members of our society and thereby help us to be successful too." [3] 1.2 Santa Models Positive TraitsSanta is the epitome of altruism, teaching kids that gift-giving and sharing are things to be valued and appreciated. His jovial personality also conveys important lessons about being friendly, considerate, and outgoing, and eschewing aggressive behaviors. As TV Producer Jonathan Meath writes, "Santa is really the only cultural icon we have who's male, does not carry a gun, and is all about peace, joy, giving, and caring for other people. That's part of the magic for me, especially in a culture where we've become so commercialized and hooked into manufactured icons. Santa is much more organic, integral, connected to the past, and therefore connected to the future." [4] Ergo, Santa Claus is a positive role model for children.2.0 Santa Promotes Togetherness and Family2.1 The Santa Clause Myth spurs ancillary rituals to Accompany it"Christmas Eve Santa Claus rituals in the United States include reading A Visit from St. Nicholas or other tales about Santa Claus, watching a Santa or Christmas-related animated program on television (such as...Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town and similar specials, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, among many others), and the singing of Santa Claus songs such as 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,' 'Here Comes Santa Claus,' and 'Up on the House Top.'" [4] I can personally vouch for the veracity of these reports. As I child, I, with my parents, would watch Christmas movies until close to my bed time, and then my parents would read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to me. I would leave out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, and then run upstairs to await Santa's arrival.2.2 Santa-related Rituals offer Opportunities for Family TimeAll of the aforesaid activities, including movie-watching, reading-stories, caroling, even baking cookies for Santa, lend themselves to quality family time and togetherness. Ergo, Santa promotes togetherness and family. 2.3 Santa Promotes Peace and UnityPlease see 1.2--Santa is an icon of peace and giving to others selflessly. Moreover, "the festive ritual of exchanging presents associated with Father Christmas also helps develop a child's sense of charitable giving as well as their consideration of others less fortunate than themselves." [5] By being an advocate for peace and unity, Santa promotes togetherness by urging us to get into the Christmas spirit and shed our animosities, if only for a short while, to be together as a community of peoples. Ergo, Santa promotes togetherness.3.0 Santa Provides a Useful Outlet in a Hyper-rationalized World3.1 Santa brings some Whimsy to our Lives"Society increasingly holds 'rationality' above all else there was a danger that the significance of myths and magic was being eroded." [5] Belief in the impossible is an important means of escaping the often dreary realities of modern day life. Santa provides on of the earliest ways for children to get into the habit of imagining something beyond themselves--and they do it with the encouragement of society. In this way, Santa helps to foster in children a tendency to think creatively and to imagine beyond rational boundaries, to dream big.3.2 Dreaming Big is Beneficial"Believing in Father Christmas helps boost children's mental development and social skills...'On balance the tale of Santa Claus is a powerful tool that may serve to nurture social and cognitive development, particularly in a technological society where children mature earlier.'" [5] "Child-development experts are recognizing the importance of imagination and the role it plays in understanding reality. Imagination is necessary for learning about people and events we don't directly experience, such as history or events on the other side of the world. For young kids, it allows them to ponder the future, such as what they want to do when they grow up... If the child already has an imaginary friend, for instance, parents should follow their children's lead and offer encouragement if they are comfortable doing so, she says. Similarly, with Santa, if a child seems excited by the idea, parents can encourage it." [6] Ergo, Santa is beneficial as a means of encouraging kids to imagine; it gives them something magical to believe in.4.0 The Santa Myth has massive commercial Benefits4.1 Santa Clause Makes MoneyEvery Christmas season stores are packed with Santa-everything, from statuettes to candles to socks to sweaters. This is fairly common knowledge and I am sure most voters can personally attest to this commercial element of Santa Claus. Meetings with Kris Kringle are popular attractions at stores, and he has been used successfully in advertising for years. [4] Moreover, when we consider the sheer number of letters sent to him each year, the myth probably generates a small fortune in postage and business for mail delivery services. [4]4.2 The Examples of Kyrgyzstan and Finland"In the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, a Santa Claus Festival was held on 30 December 2007, with government officials attending. 2008 was officially declared the Year of Santa Claus in the country. The events are seen as moves to boost tourism in Kyrgyzstan." [4] We can also look to place like Finland, which have turned the Santa myth into a booming tourist industry. [4] The benefits to the economies of nations should be sufficient to affirm the topic.5.0 The Santa Myth Promotes LiteracyMany postal services allow children to send letters to Santa Claus...Writing letters to Santa Claus has the educational benefits of promoting literacy, computer literacy, and e-mail literacy. A letter to Santa is often a child's first experience of correspondence. Written and sent with the help of a parent or teacher, children learn about the structure of a letter, salutations, and the use of an address and postcode." [4] Because the myth helps and motivates kids to learn how to read, write, and address letters, it has an educational benefit. SOURCES1 - http://psychology.wikia.com...2 - http://en.wikipedia.org...3 - http://www.healthguidance.org...4 - http://en.wikipedia.org...5 - http://www.theguardian.com...6 - http://online.wsj.com...Ho, ho, ho! Over to Con! http://www.youtube.com...