Lev seems to have no idea that the thing he's doing is called "economics", but it turns out you can reinvent a lot of it with fifty years of work and access to the ability to spy on any child you like at any time.

He likes explaining! He bounces!

Mordred largely follows along with the explanations, and then,

"...wait, did you independently reinvent the concept of random sampling?" 

"...the humans know it?"

"It's what you're supposed to aim for in most kinds of empirical research, it's important for making sure you don't get biased data -- that's really cool." 

Blush blush blush.

"Oh. Thank you. I-- it's easier if we don't have to watch every Santa-believing kid all the time for naughtiness and niceness, right, and it was just-- obvious--"

"You say it's obvious but social science studies keep being done on populations of entirely college students! I guess if you have the ability to look at literally anyone you want and aren't constrained by physical distance there's less temptation to take shortcuts but still." 

"We can't look at anyone we want. Only kids who believe in Santa. I had to do a lot of guesswork. And, um, blatantly abuse my position on the central planning committee."

"So your results are primarily applicable in -- what, Christian-dominant cultures with a Santa tradition? That's still better than most of the studies I've read the methodology section for.

Also I think this is a perfectly fair use of a position on a central planning committee. For whatever that's worth." 

"Well, see, I was working on--" And here Lev starts explaining how he tried to make his results generalizable to non-Christians and developing countries.

Bouncebouncebounce that's so cool. 

Meanwhile--

"Look, in this age of diversity--"

"--political correctness--"

"Diversity," the advertising executive says firmly, "we can't keep using Santa Claus to advertise products. It's limiting ourselves to only Christians and cultural Christians. Muslims, Jews, Hindus, atheists-- there are a lot of people who might buy our products who are alienated by Santa Claus. We need a religiously neutral symbol of winter itself."

"And your concept for the religiously neutral symbol of winter itself is... an angry goth kid?"

"No, I can see it," says their coworker. She's already drawing sketches on a napkin. "Someone younger audiences can see themselves in. It's--"

"Have you heard of the concept of a 'Tumblr sexyman'?"

"...no, and I am not sure I want to."

"The kids these days love pale skinny ambiguously evil people with a good fashion sense. They adore it. We will have so much"-- the executive pronounces this as if an unfamiliar word--"slash fiction."

An intern makes a fascinating face. Everyone ignores him.

"We can get them to promote our products for us," the executive says. "And branding opportunities-- merchandising-- perhaps even tie-in novels and movies-- Star Wars is worth seventy billion dollars and it all runs on fan energy."

"By 'fan energy' you mean horny teenage girls."

"Whatever."

Meanwhile -- 

Planetariums set out signs for Solstice events, to watch the stars on the longest night of the year. Netflix runs an ad, proclaiming in large block letters, Why hang out with people you hate when you could stay in this holiday season? Across North America, ABA therapists suffer sudden attacks of conscience and quit their jobs. 

And Lev shows Mordred what's happening.

"I haven't had enough time to really do the reading for Human Rights Day but this is -- a good start. A really good start." 

"It all works on your subconscious anyway, I don't know-- how easily you could get it to do things that aren't your subconscious understanding of how winter holidays should be."

"...I'm still going to try." 

He can't just — leave things the way they are because he can't make himself care enough. 

"I mean, the things you care about are neat."

"They're neat but I can't just not even try to fix more things than this about the world, not if the only barrier is caring enough."

"...Wonder how we can get you to care more."

"I'm hoping just learning more will help." 

"What do you want to learn about?"