Are Santa's recipient priorities backwards?

Asked by elbanditoroso (33145

) November 11th, 2020

The song goes “He knows when you’ve been naughty or nice” and continues “so be good for goodness sake”.

The implication is that if you are naughty, you won’t get presents.

But aren’t the naughty ones the ones that need incentive and rewards so that they will change? The nice people are already nice, so why should they be rewarded in the first place?

If having everyone be “nice” is a societal goal, then it’s the naughty people who need to be incentivized.

Santa has it backwards.

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4 Answers

Santa’s presents are a posteriori, not a priori.

And the song in question is a plea to the naughty ones to redeem themselves before Santa’s arrival. One can switch to the nice list by being charitable up to Christmas morning.

zenvelo (39407

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Well, originally, the real threat to naughty children was not “not getting presents”.
It was getting physically punished or even abducted by Santa’s minion, Knecht Ruprecht.
You know, the preteen version of the threat of eternal damnation and hellfire.

ragingloli (51957

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Incentive rewards? NO! You be good for the sake of goodness.

si3tech (10014

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The Prodigal Son again, eh? And Martha and Mary? No treats for the good guys. Let’s reward the transgressors and the slackers so they’ll—what, want to be like the dutiful and obedient ones and stand by empty-handed while their misbehaving sibs get seconds?

Jeruba (55824

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