Atheist parents!

Originally Posted by PretzelCorps

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".

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by PretzelCorps

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.

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?

Also, you're an idiot. Feel like screwing people out of money with credit cards? You can't do it, because it's illegal. It's called a law. As for fucking people in a casual fashion... on yeah, the world would be a miserable place if casual sex wasn't repressed by conservative morality. No one would be happy and less prone to jealousy and idiotic concepts of possession of a person. And as for "flaming" you? I demand a certain level of intellect, mate. If you hadn't come barreling in with a poorly supported and wickedly poorly thought out argument, you wouldn't have been tagged. But I get the impression it's about all we'll see out of you.

You intend to protect your kids from different views of the world? Thank god I'm not your kid. You should home school them, too. Really limit that perspective thing. Dangerous, that.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Pyromanic

Who said anything about shielding kids from different views? The whole point of Pretzel's original post was just to say that you shouldn't shield them from such things as Santa and God. Don't force it on them I guess, but don't feel like you can't teach them about it either.

Originally Posted by Pretzel

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.

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

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

Originally Posted by PretzelCorps

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.

Yes, I consider myself bold because I countered your comment about it being some sort of sneak attack. Get a grip. And as for being an asshole in real life, son, people around here know me better than that. Ask your boy Smelnick.

Quote:

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

Well I debunked your bullshit, for a start.

Quote:

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.

So you're basically arguing nurture vs nature, and think that if we don't talk about Santa Claus, then they're going to only be exposed to the real world. Which is nothing but thievery and deception? Yeah, nothing good ever happens ever in the world. Ever. Not ever.

Quote:

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

Who's a better role model? Santa Claus or someone who actually makes a difference in the world?

Quote:

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

Wow, yeah. That would hold up, except for the fact that you're acting like it's completely acceptable and there's no part of life that is against it. Oh my god, logic!! Run for your life!!!

Quote:

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?

Oh yeah, not selective morality at all. CASUAL SEX IS BAD!

Quote:

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!

Yeah, one day we'll compare academic standing and you can laugh and talk about how that doesn't matter when it comes to intelligence.

Quote:

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.

Yes. If you teach them that the environment is fixed. And where exactly is your degree in child psychology? Yeah, no kid ever took up Amnesty International letter writing or anything to try and change things. Misguided as it might be. You're really used to people just taking your concept of things as legit, aren't you?

Quote:

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.

Big kid's can use curse words. And you're right, I have no concept of the intellectual. I don't live in that world at all.

Quote:

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

If only I believed that for a second.

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

Originally Posted by PretzelCorps

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.

Ok, if you're going to single out one religious group, you sort of have to do them all. I don't much care for christians or catholics or protestants or baptists butting into my business either.

I was speaking idiomatically.