I suppose there is also a Moloch dynamic: if every other kid believes in Santa, the one who doesn’t might be left out. In worse cases, other kids might react agressively to their comments. Something similar happens to atheist adults in strongly christian communities.
The “sense of wonder” argument may be a rationalization for “I don’t want my kid to be the only one who doesn’t share THIS socially important sense of wonder with the rest”. The kid who obsesses with space shuttles instead of santa might be socially worse off.
If this is the case, arguing against the explicit arguments of santaism won’t be so effective, because the attitude isn’t rationally founded, but rather a post-hoc justification of an individual incentive within the Moloch dynamic. I suspect the main issue here is the lock-in effect.
I’m not sure what the solution would be. It might need coordination (a group of parents whose kids are friends agreeing on not telling the “noble lie” and finding alternatives instead). Maybe, if it works better (or, at least, if it gets easier) once a small critical mass is achieved, more parents will adopt this approach.
I suppose there is also a Moloch dynamic: if every other kid believes in Santa, the one who doesn’t might be left out. In worse cases, other kids might react agressively to their comments. Something similar happens to atheist adults in strongly christian communities.
The “sense of wonder” argument may be a rationalization for “I don’t want my kid to be the only one who doesn’t share THIS socially important sense of wonder with the rest”. The kid who obsesses with space shuttles instead of santa might be socially worse off.
If this is the case, arguing against the explicit arguments of santaism won’t be so effective, because the attitude isn’t rationally founded, but rather a post-hoc justification of an individual incentive within the Moloch dynamic. I suspect the main issue here is the lock-in effect.
I’m not sure what the solution would be. It might need coordination (a group of parents whose kids are friends agreeing on not telling the “noble lie” and finding alternatives instead). Maybe, if it works better (or, at least, if it gets easier) once a small critical mass is achieved, more parents will adopt this approach.