We look at several ways we might be doing Christmas wrong -- but we might not! We start with Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski, music artists who just released a new version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside."
This version includes the lyrics "I really can't stay / Baby I'm fine with that" and "I ought to say no / You reserve the right to say no." Liza said the classic version bothers her, given the woman's questioning of what's in her drink, and her inability to leave when she says she wants to. So, is the original version too ambiguous about sexual assault? Or is that misreading it?
And say, what about "Santa Claus is Coming to Town?" "He sees you when you're sleeping?" Do we want our kids growing up in fear of the ever-present NSA?
Finally, we discuss the psychology of Santa Claus. Specifically, we engage in a serious exploration of whether it's damaging to tell kids that Santa Claus will give gifts to all kids -- even kids in poverty. Does that untruth lead kids to think kids in poverty are magically taken care of? Does the lie of Santa Claus allow for magic, or can it lead to long-term harm? Our guests:
- Lydia Liza, singer/songwriter
- Josiah Lemanski, singer/songwriter
- Eric Caine, chair of the department of psychiatry at the University of Rochester
