STH Newsletter

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Planning an Altruist-Themed Birthday Party

by Jason Roth

Breaking the Piñata

Children just love to break open a piñata and race to gather up as much candy as they can. And who wouldn't!

That's why this is a great opportunity to teach children about the importance of self sacrifice. Initially, you should present the piñata in the traditional way, in which children take turns getting blindfolded and swatting at the piñata with a stick. But here's where you can add an exciting twist. Once the piñata has broken and the children have taken all the candy, force them to give up their candy to the child who was able to grab the least amount for him or herself. Explain the principle "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need". If the child who receives all the candy feels awkward, explain that he or she deserves the candy just for being slower, more pathetic, and less competent than the other children. Wink at the child and whisper "you can get a lot of free stuff this way when you get older!"

As an alternative, single out the one child who grabbed the most candy, blindfold him or her, and make the child hold the candy while standing up. Then let the other children beat the child with sticks and bats while screaming "you greedy pig" until the child drops all the candy and/or runs away crying.