Interesting Links for 26-12-2020

[andrewducker]

How children are fooled into believing in Santa Claus

(tags:belief Christmas children psychology )

Why Jews eat Chinese food at Christmas

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1342314651778953216.html
(tags:food China Jews history )

Elephant decline revealed by shipwreck cargo

(tags:history elephants Doom )

The Metaphysics of the Muppet Movies

(tags:muppets movies philosophy )

In study, paracetamol (acetaminophen) makes risky moves seem less dangerous

(tags:psychology drugs risk behaviour )

Comments

[cmcmck]

I've come across about the story about Jews and Chinese food elsewhere- fascinating! :o)

[calimac]

1) I came across an advice-column letter whose writer had a 10-year-old who still believed in Santa Claus, on the grounds that parents wouldn't lie to their children. That was kind of devastating. What do you say to such a child? I'd suggest explaining Santa as a "let's pretend" game. Which fits with Santa as a liminal figure between real and imaginary.
If I were posed the 8-point "real/not real" test, I'd be hard put where to classify dinosaurs. They used to be real, but they're not any more. (Ignoring the fad for classifying birds as dinosaurs.)

2) For years - decades! - I've wondered why, if American Jews eat Chinese food at Christmas, my Jewish family never heard of any such custom. And now, the answer to that question: it's because my ancestors never lived in New York City.

4) If Kermit is an actor playing Bob Cratchit, does a similar metaphysics explain how Mickey Mouse somehow became the apprentice of a medieval sorcerer?

[andrewducker]

"Santa as let's pretend" makes sense to me.

I agree about Jews and Chinese food. Also not a thing in the UK as far as I'm aware.

And, yes, that definitely makes sense for the ones where it's not "Mickey Mouse" that we're seeing, but some other character.

[nancylebov]

I don't trust studies as hypothetical as that acetaminophen study-- there might be something to it, but it's too far from studying actual behavior.

[naath]

you have to start out with the small lies, so that later you can believe the big ones.

[andrewducker]

I always loathed that line.

I never believed in Santa Claus and I believe in making the world a better place.

Edit: It's fine in the original context, but I don't think it's applicable to the real world even slightly.

[naath]

mmm, I'm not sure I ever believed in santa, come to think