"Lies we tell kids"

I'm a big Paul Graham essay fan.  I don't always agree with him but I do consistently find his essays very thought provoking and often learn something new about myself or the world by thinking about them.

Here's his latest:  Lies we tell kids.

It's not only useful if you're interested in kids but also if you're interested in figuring out how the lies you were told growing up might still affect you.

Comments

[Daniel]

I always agree with Paul Graham, even before I hear what he says.

[Ralph Kramden]

Thanks for the pointer to the article. It's an interesting read.

Having safely piloted 2 internet-savvy kids into their 20s now, I'm certainly not going to comment in a public forum about parental lies, even pseudonymously. :-)

My parents have been gone a long time now, and "new" family stories are hard to come by, but I just learned (from cousins) about the circumstances of my father's father's death that had not been "a lie" in my family, but rather "a secret". My grandfather died 15 years before I was born, but the new information was a bit disorienting for me - 70 years after the event. That's a strange sensation - that just some old but previously unknown family story can shake your core, even slightly.

[Anna]

Damn that's good.

> That's a strange sensation - that just some old but previously unknown family story...

Read (if you get a chance) "A short history of tractors in Ukranian".

[Anna]

It's akin to the "lamp vs. mirror" distinction in journalism - and the essay does bring out rather sharply the downside(s) of "lamp".