Atheist parents!

Originally Posted by Everybody

Santa sucks. Don't tell your kids about Santa. Christmas is for losers. I hate people and secretly enjoy beating my kids with a belt.

Frankly, when I was a kid, I loved Santa. It was magic.

When the time came that I was old enough to reason that Santa was not "real", in the most mundane sense of the word, me, being the reasonable and grateful human being I am came to love and respect my parents more for it, knowing just how much effort they put into it, to suspend the illusion that just maybe there is in fact a great benefactor out there that does not discriminate between race, or religion, or anything else, but good and bad.

I don't lie. I don't cheat. I don't steal. I grew up close with my parents and all people around me.

I feel sorry for your kids. Instead of allowing them to believe that, just maybe, a little bit of beneficial magic (God fits this category too) can exist, you force them to cope with and directly accept a world wherein people hate, lie, cheat, kill, whatever they want; where people dangle food over the heads of starving Muslims and call it "evangelism during Christmas".

And then you wonder why your kids still lie, and cheat, and steal cars and beat up the neighbour's little handicapped boy.

Thank you, but sometimes I think "the truth" can be just a bit more harmful than "Santa".

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Denicalis

Umm... I'm sorry, did you just say that people lie, cheat and commit thievery because they're told that such things exist? Ok, Huxley, do explain to us all about how a false sense of bliss and pleasantry will make it all true. Seriously, try and convince a few of us that lies about the state of the world will fix it. No, no, really. We can wait. We have the time. Go for it.

Or maybe an understanding of how the world works from a younger age might encourage people to do something to change how said system moves. Or maybe you're arguing about base human nature being changed by a lack of knowledge. Either way, I'm sure your reply will be a doozy.

A doozy? Here's a doozy:

Forgive me for misunderstanding. I didn't realize we were trying to fix the entire freakin' world with this thread. I was under the impression that the topic was about family and raising children.

You want a fix? Try getting over yourself. The only real problem with society today is everyone's damnable fixation on themselves, and what makes them and them alone happy. You happy having sex with everyone you can without calling them after? Do it. You happy screwing people out of their money via credit card scams? Do it! Go ahead, no one's stopping you today! You get your jollies by anonymously attacking people from behind on the internet (oh, I'm sorry, I meant "tEh f!@m!ng N00bSxors")? Great! Contribute all the malice you can!

I intend to protect my kids from people like that.

Way off-topic.

***

On another note, thank you RainMan for a far more informative response.

Originally Posted by RainMan

Harmful only to a child.

Yeah, I agree. I just tend to think it's better to suspend their inevitable hatred of society until they're more prepared to deal with it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise that walking up to you and saying something in a public forum I knew you would read counts as "from behind." I imagine if I'd called you a cunt to your face, I'd somehow be talking behind your back, then?

I feel sorry for you if you consider yourself rather brave for being so bold on the internet. Frankly, I find that people like you simply do it cause they don't have the sac to be an asshole in reality.

And besides, what the hell have you even contributed to this thread, anyways?

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Did you just say that people lie, cheat and commit thievery because they're told that such things exist?

Actually, no I didn't. I was alluding that people grow up to lie, cheat, and commit thievery when it's all you subject them to. The world's come to a point where sometimes I think imagination is the only escape from all the bullshit. But nonetheless, lying, cheating, and stealing is all you ever subject someone to, it's all they're ever going to know.

Besides, who's a better role model? Fictional Santa Claus? Or Britney Spears?

Oh, and seriously, don't kid yourself that your child is gonna simply know better than to look up to someone like that.

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Also, you're an idiot.

Brilliant follow-up.

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Feel like screwing people out of money with credit cards? You can't do it, because it's illegal.

Oh my God!! Rules!! Better run for your life!!

Weak.

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He's talking about selective morality, don't delude yourself that he's talking about open access to information.

I'm not talking about selective morality. I'm talking about letting your kids have a little imagination! Open access to information? Where the hell did I say I was going to deny my kids that?

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You intend to protect your kids from different views of the world?

I intend to protect my kids from morons like yourself that are too stubborn to see any value in anything but their own judgment. This isn't even a debate anymore, it's a debacle!

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An understanding of how the world works from a younger age might encourage people to do something to change how said system moves.

I'd say that in all of the blathering babble that you've spilled into this thread, this is about the only worthwhile thing you've said. And even at that, it's weak. Children don't strive to change the world. A nine-year-old doesn't look at the state of the world and think to him/herself "Hrrrmm, I wonder how I can fix this when I grow up." They conform. They emulate. That's it. Kids accept their environment for what it is. It isn't until a certain level of development is reached that they even realize that they can alter the things around them.

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I demand a certain level of intellect, mate.

You wouldn't know intellect if it smacked you in the head. Not that it ever will, so long as you keep it stuffed up your arse.



If you have something to contribute, do it. Otherwise, stop fucking around, and quit following me. I'm done with this.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Denicalis

If only I believed that for a second.

Believe it.

Originally Posted by whinehurst

Really, most societal problems stem from too many people trying to get up in other people's business; trying to make everyone else conform to their wants and desires, instead of just doing "what makes them and them alone happy".

Yeah, but aren't most people just trying to make others conform, only so that they themselves can feel more righteous themselves, and in the eyes of others with similar beliefs? It's certainly not out of concern for the convertee's well being... Usually, anyways.

Besides, there's too many groups of people out there that get their jollies only by butting into other people's business. ie: Jehovah's Witnesses.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by ^ that guy

So, are you going to protect them from you?

Thanks, but I'm perfectly open to all (or most) opinions.

What I'm not open to is people coming in and having nothing more to say than "That's stupid" or "You're stupid". It's not constructive, and frankly, all it does is waste a few bytes on some server out there in the world.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by SCHWARZE-4

He had a lot more to say than just 'You're stupid'. Quite a bit more in fact! Do you have trouble reading? :~)

Oh, fine then!

{{**REPHRASE**}}

What I'm not open to are opinions that begin with, and end in, "you're stupid", and put words in my mouth. I didn't say (or at least mean) half the things he said I'd said.

Focusing on that, I end up ignoring the rest. :/

A bit better?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?