I am going to say it up front. I know this makes me un-American. But I hate Santa Clause. Not for religious reason (which is common but nonsensical). I have no religion. But for so many other reasons.
This is a huge issue for me. I think that we in the US do not put enough merit in the psychological dysfunction caused by the propagation of this lie. A child looks to their parents for not only verbal but physical and exemplary instruction as well. At the core of this truth is the feeling of security. Trust in other human beings is directly related to how mentally healthy we are in social environments. This includes work, relationship, and public exposure. If we come to know our parents will lie and/ or stretch the truth to us, our very foundation of interpersonal relationships becomes uncertain and anxious.
By the time we reach adulthood we seem to have suppressed how important Santa and the Easter Bunny are to many of us as kids. Mainly because when we find out, we feel silly and embarrassed. (I believe Freud said the minds ultimate goal to deal with discomfort is repression.) But I assure you that a 3 to 6,7,8 yrs old that fat old man is a very real and serious role model. This is further instigated by parents who use Satan Clause as an enforcer of morals, values, and behaviors. “If you don’t behave, Santa will not bring you presents.” (This reeks of Pavlov) These children are not being “nice” and not “naughty” for some fictitious fantasy. What happen deep in the subconscious when they find out the guy who they didn’t lie, cheat, beat their sister up, listened to their parents for is a lie.
Then, on top of that, these fairytales are conjoined with religious events. The entity that instructs many people and children alike about moral and values is tied to this masquerade. How does the mind process the hypocrisies? I learned at 6 in an overheard conversation between my parents. My next thought was “If Santa isn’t real, The Easter Bunny isn’t real, then who is the Jesus guy? He doesn’t even bring me anything. Why should I look up to him?” I have been an agnostic since 6 yrs old.
At the very least, it throws the juvenile mind into a spin of doubt and confusion with not certainty where it is going to end. He are seeing so many mental health problem dealing with insecurities. How can we not make the connection between the promotion of Christmas to a materialistic event and the loss of trust that leads to anxiety, depression, borderline, manic, and like dysfunctions?
Why do your children have to believe presents come from elves, reindeer, and bunnies? Why can’t they believe they are the reward for your hard work? Why do they have to be good for Santa? Why can’t they be good because you said so? We humans do only things that we find most pleasure in. Why do so many of us find pleasure in vehemently propagating this rouse? The looks of horrified parents when I tell them that my daughter knows Santa isn’t any more real then Tinkerbelle or Mickey Mouse is priceless. The look can only be described as horror. I am some kind of a monster.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlo1kldHjF8
This is a huge issue for me. I think that we in the US do not put enough merit in the psychological dysfunction caused by the propagation of this lie. A child looks to their parents for not only verbal but physical and exemplary instruction as well. At the core of this truth is the feeling of security. Trust in other human beings is directly related to how mentally healthy we are in social environments. This includes work, relationship, and public exposure. If we come to know our parents will lie and/ or stretch the truth to us, our very foundation of interpersonal relationships becomes uncertain and anxious.
By the time we reach adulthood we seem to have suppressed how important Santa and the Easter Bunny are to many of us as kids. Mainly because when we find out, we feel silly and embarrassed. (I believe Freud said the minds ultimate goal to deal with discomfort is repression.) But I assure you that a 3 to 6,7,8 yrs old that fat old man is a very real and serious role model. This is further instigated by parents who use Satan Clause as an enforcer of morals, values, and behaviors. “If you don’t behave, Santa will not bring you presents.” (This reeks of Pavlov) These children are not being “nice” and not “naughty” for some fictitious fantasy. What happen deep in the subconscious when they find out the guy who they didn’t lie, cheat, beat their sister up, listened to their parents for is a lie.
Then, on top of that, these fairytales are conjoined with religious events. The entity that instructs many people and children alike about moral and values is tied to this masquerade. How does the mind process the hypocrisies? I learned at 6 in an overheard conversation between my parents. My next thought was “If Santa isn’t real, The Easter Bunny isn’t real, then who is the Jesus guy? He doesn’t even bring me anything. Why should I look up to him?” I have been an agnostic since 6 yrs old.
At the very least, it throws the juvenile mind into a spin of doubt and confusion with not certainty where it is going to end. He are seeing so many mental health problem dealing with insecurities. How can we not make the connection between the promotion of Christmas to a materialistic event and the loss of trust that leads to anxiety, depression, borderline, manic, and like dysfunctions?
Why do your children have to believe presents come from elves, reindeer, and bunnies? Why can’t they believe they are the reward for your hard work? Why do they have to be good for Santa? Why can’t they be good because you said so? We humans do only things that we find most pleasure in. Why do so many of us find pleasure in vehemently propagating this rouse? The looks of horrified parents when I tell them that my daughter knows Santa isn’t any more real then Tinkerbelle or Mickey Mouse is priceless. The look can only be described as horror. I am some kind of a monster.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlo1kldHjF8
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