Yeah, I was ready to be convinced; I love punctured myths. But having built too many things based on executive fantasies, it seems all too plausible to me that

Yeah, I was ready to be convinced; I love punctured myths. But having built too many things based on executive fantasies, it seems all too plausible to me that whether or not the staircase direction made practical sense, various kings would love imagining themselves as heroic defenders on every square foot. Like others, I think the fact that this myth appears to be novel and recent is a much better sign that we shouldn't take this very seriously. And I totally agree with his point about "frequency of its repetition by parents to children". There is so much "Pluto is so a planet" thinking in the world. It's really hard to critically examine beliefs we take on as children.