God, Santa, and The Tooth Fairy

[The Grand Nudger]

There must be a reason why belief in God (or gods) persists throughout so many people's lifetimes, yet belief in Santa/Tooth Fairy etc. ends early in life.

Yeah, we finally let kids in on the joke with santa and fairies.  No so much with gods.  Imagine if your parents let you continue to believe in a literal santa well into your 40's...and you made consequential political decisions that impacted other people on the basis of the beliefs you held about santa as an adult. Imagine if no american could ever be president without very publicly praising santa.

Now you know exactly what theism looks like from the outside.

[onlinebiker]

I was gonna fix that for you.


That is more accurate.

[vulcanlogician]

Wait a minute... You mean Santa isn't real?!

[Ranjr]

My daughter ran an experiment when she was 7.  She pulled a loose tooth on her own after bed and didn't tell us.  She put it under her pillow.  The next morning: nothing but the tooth.  The next evening she presented us with the tooth.  The morning after:  cash money.  Her suspicious were confirmed.

Religion fails test after test, yet many still believe.  That's pretty close to magic, especially in the David Copperfield sense.

[arewethereyet]

Wait a minute... You mean Santa isn't real?!

This Santa just shipped gifts to SC. No reindeer, just the USPS.

[The Grand Nudger]

Innovation. Reindeer are unreliable and expensive.

[arewethereyet]

Innovation.  Reindeer are unreliable and expensive.

So's the USPS.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Innovation.  Reindeer are unreliable and expensive.

Whaddya mean ‘unreliable’? My prezzies ALWAYS arrived on time.

As for ‘expensive’, that’s bollocks. Santa’s reindeer are volunteers.

Boru

[The Grand Nudger]

That's what we used to tell people down on the farm in the bay. We were all volunteers. It sold boxes. What we meant, was that we'd do it for free if they didn't pay us...and that was true. We were all, officially, volunteers.....but thank fucking santa they did pay us, and payed us well.

Something tells me flying reindeer eat more than the standard models. Shamans and priests are similarly difficult to adequately compensate. Think about it - how do you physically value - in the course of earthly business... a prayer that's more intangibly valuable than a prayer from some apostate? IDK what you guys spend your idle winter hours doing, but I like to workshop solutions for the religious economy. This one would be a gold mine for anyone who could solve it - and we all have experience..or, at least, all of us who've left money under a pillow.

Think about it like this. Abandon your principles from the outset in service of being a better hypothetical business owner. What is the smallest amount of financial incentive you can offer that will compel your target market to specific and specifically profitable behaviors for your occluded business model? The answer to that question tells you how much money to give a kid for a tooth to get them thinking about and brushing teeth ...which may not make you a dime (but can save you thousands in dental), but it also answers the question of how to organize your seed money™ payout scheme in a prosperity gospel mlm.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

That's what we used to tell people down on the farm in the bay.  We were all volunteers.  It sold boxes.  What we meant, was that we'd do it for free if they didn't pay us...and that was true.  We were all, officially, volunteers.....but thank fucking santa they did pay us, and payed us well.

Something tells me flying reindeer eat more than the standard models. Shamans and priests are similarly difficult to adequately compensate.  Think about it - how do you physically value - in the course of earthly business... a prayer that's more intangibly valuable than a prayer from some apostate?  IDK what you guys spend your idle winter hours doing, but I like to workshop solutions for the religious economy.  This one would be a gold mine for anyone who could solve it - and we all have experience..or, at least, all of us who've left money under a pillow.

Think about it like this.  Abandon your principles from the outset in service of being a better hypothetical business owner.  What is the smallest amount of financial incentive you can offer that will compel your target market to specific and specifically profitable behaviors for your occluded business model?  The answer to that question tells you how much money to give a kid for a tooth to get them thinking about and brushing teeth ...which may not make you a dime (but can save you thousands in dental), but it also answers the question of how to organize your seed money™ payout scheme in a prosperity gospel mlm.

Flying reindeer are magical creatures and therefore do not need to eat. They do, however, enjoy the carrots left out for them by thoughtful children. Check and mate.

Boru