When I grew up I had a children's book telling about Gypsies who might come at any time in their horse-drawn cart and grab children off the street, throw them in, paint their faces black then train them to perform in their circus, never to see their families again. It was quite scary!

Well that could indeed have happened some 100 years earlier and the adults knew that it does not happen any more, but well, if it served their purpose to keep their children off the street...

So what we need is to look at is the motivation why children are told such horror stories, true or false being irrelevant, they serve a purpose.

In this case, the most obvious purpose seems to be to make the children love the government by perceiving it as their "saviour".

"In this case, the most obvious purpose seems to be to make the children love the government by perceiving it as their "saviour".

That is the reason. Totalitarian governments use fraud to get control. But, if the fraud doesn't work, they will use force.

That wouldn't happen here? Don't forget Covid and the VicPol storm troopers. When Andrews runs out of other people's money - the latest trick is to replace the $15 million that was rightly removed from idiot netballers with public money - watch out!

Hi Yuyutsu,

The Christian Church used scary superstition on children, and gullible adults, to keep them under control. If you know no better what would scare you more than; "If you don't do as I say, you'll burn in the fires of hell for eternity." Me thinks that's a fairly strong inducement to toe the line.

Here's a hint about how 'smart' and easily led and scared kids are:

According to the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), in 2018, 20 per cent of Australian students had reading levels ‘too low to enable them to participate effectively and productively in life’, an eight per cent increase since 2003. And still rising.

Too dumb to "participate effectively and productively in life".

And that's the way our totalitarian politicians like it. The dumber people are, the easier they can be scared and controlled.