The Santa Claus Myth is Beneficial (On Balance)

Thanks, 9space, for a great debate so far! I will now rebut Con's opening arguments. Also, more Christmas music: 1. Parents should not LieCon sites as his warrant for the importance of truth an essay from the play The Crucible. Firstly, I don't think a play about witch-hunting in colonial America has any real relevance to the topic at hand, nor is it an authoritative source on the psychological impacts of lying.Parents lie for a whole variety of reasons--one example that is often show in media is parents buying new pets to replace old pets who died, and then informing their children that the new pet is the same as the old pet. This spares the child having to confront the idea that a beloved animal has died. I would argue that this doesn't teach children that lying is okay; instead, it teaches them to be sympathetic and to do things that minimize the pain of others.When we talk about Santa Claus, there are clear benefits to the myth that I expounded on earlier (and will defend next round). As children age, they'll realize the purpose of the myth is not to lie, but rather to convey moral lessons and to bring some excitement to a child's life. Again, the myth is teaching kids the lesson of "lying is good," but rather "conveying moral lessons" and "bringing happiness to a life" are good. "Psychologist Tamar Murachver said that because it is a cultural, not parental, lie, it does not undermine parental trust." [1] In fact, Con's source (no. 4) that suggests the myth harms a child's relationship with their parents is merely a string of cherry-picked examples, and cannot prove that "on balance" it is detrimental to that relationship.As for my friend with bad breath, to use Con's example, why needless hurt his feelings by telling him "your breath is bad." Instead, casually offer him a piece of mint gum to help remedy his problem. Con then asserts that Children will be upset that they were lied too. This is false. "Dr. John Condry of Cornell University interviewed more than 500 children for a study of the issue and found that not a single child was angry at his or her parents for telling them Santa Claus was real. According to Dr. Condry, 'The most common response to finding out the truth was that they felt older and more mature. They now knew something that the younger kids did not.'" [1] In this way, the Santa myth is used a means of inducting children into the next level of maturity, and has a positive impact on their self-confidence, even after they know the truth.2. Trouble for ParentsSure, children will notice that Santa doesn't exist at a certain point, and it's when they start experience serious doubt that parents ought to tell them the truth. The child's dubiousness is evidence that they can handle the reality of the truth; but just because some parents might go to great lengths to preserve the lie doesn't invalidate the myth on balance.3. IllnessCon says, "the Santa Claus myth can actually bring illnesses to children." Yet, Con's source (no. 2) explicitly states, "I’m not implying that magical thinking causes psychiatric illnesses." Con's own source rebuts him.Many children think about Santa Claus creatively. Just go up to any little kid and ask them to explain how Santa gets around the world in one night. Many of them will give creative responses to these questions that test their cognitive abilities; many don't simply parrot their parents. Moreover, just having children as "why" or having them come up with thoughtful questions about the myth (such as how does Santa know if we're naughty or nice?) build their critical thinking skills. So there is cognitive benefit.4. Slippery SlopeCon's argument here is that kids will start questioning other beliefs. Sure, why is that a problem? Don't we want our kids to be critical thinkers and to analyze things, and not believe any barely asserted claim their told? In fact, asking questions is an important method of learning in young children. [2]5. BribesThis whole argument is about gift-giving, not the Santa myth. Parents who don't tell their kids about Santa still often give gifts, so this argument is non-unique.6. Love vs. SantaWe can't parents give both? Personally, I think telling my kids about Santa will be an act of love, because I feel like telling them the myth is in their interests. Con presents this as an either/or--it's not. You can have both.[1] http://en.wikipedia.org...[2] http://www.child-central.com...