Abandoning Classic Fairy Tales Edit
Politically Correct Parents Axe Literary Treasures

If you ask a child or children of 1 in 4 parents whether they’ve read ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,’ ‘Hansel and Gretel,’ or even ‘Little Red Riding Hood,’ chances are that the answer will be no. According to a report by The Daily Mail, politically correct parents are axing many classic fairy tales from their child’s reading list.

Many parents find classic literature like ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ to be too brutal. PC reasons for parents keeping children away from beloved stories like ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ are because the heroines do ‘housework.’ In fact, as many as 1 in 10 parents believe that the name of the ‘Seven Dwarfs’ should be changed because it is offensive. 

Excuse me while I rant. While I am all for not forcing a child to sit and listen to a story they are not interested in or are scared of (classic or not), I’m completely against censorship of fairy tales. And, changing a title because it is ‘offensive?’ Shall all offensively titled books be changed then? If so, the amount of work such a project would require is unfathomable. 

I agree that many classic fairy tales are brutal and scary and may be offensive; however, I think censoring them from children or requiring title changes is ridiculous. Despite their flaws, these are living books from which children can learn grammar, spelling and word flow, and they inspire imagination as well.