Do Fairy Tales Affect Our Perception of Reality?

Against

All noble men and women were desperately getting ready to attend the Grand King’s Ball,
destined to be the biggest event of the year. Meanwhile, the all new Cinderella of the 21st
Century was somewhat confused for the first time in decades! Everyone had already left
when the Fairy God Mother showed up. “You must go the ball and charm the prince”, she
said. It had been a while since Cinderella came across a real mother figure. She was
disgusted by the fact that her Fairy God Mother was so obsessed by the idea of her going
to the ball and not an IVY League School like normal noble kids. “I have bigger problems”,
exclaimed Cinderella. “I don’t care about your magic go-carts and pretty clothes; I don’t
need a man to protect me, for I know how things work in this capitalist postfeminist
world.” She borrowed five thousand dollars from her, and was never seen again.

L&G, FAIRY TALES DO NOT AFFECT OUR PERCEPTION OF REALITY for this is not a
linear process. It is very iterative in nature. This might be easier to comprehend with the
analogy of puzzle piece sets. Much like jumbled up puzzle pieces in the beginning… our
minds search for missing links and answers to known questions about reality from all that
is available to us. However, once our very first puzzle piece set is complete, we don’t
magically become the masters of our destinies right away. We soon realize that a different,
more sophisticated and complex puzzle piece set is needed to perceive reality more
accurately. This process keeps repeating over and over.

Fellow wanderers, the answers we got as toddlers from our elders to simple questions
like, “Where do babies come from?” or “What is a parliament?” differ immensely from
reality. No one expects toddlers to comprehend the intricate details of ‘ovulation’ or ‘two-
thirds majority’ at such an early stage of cerebral development. Fairy tales can therefore
assist parents in helping their children complete the puzzle piece set that they might be
struggling with at the time. As they age however, so will their perception of reality.

So, let me paint a more accurate picture of reality for you L&G. I live in a society:

• Where mainstream politics is nothing more than a dreadful soap opera.

• Where social disparity is destroying the moral fabric of society.
• Where women don’t feel safe travelling alone after hours!

I live in a society L&G, where the very people responsible for maintaining law and order,
run around rampant in the streets with pitchforks and torches.
It all really comes down to effective parenting and grooming. For I too watched and
listened to many fairy tales when I was young, but they most certainly did not affect my
perception of reality. Parents need to understand that fairy tales are not alternatives to
parenting, and that effectual supervision and transparent communication is always
necessary. The traditional Cinderella had neither, she therefore… let her own illusions of
disruptive justice take over. If your legal guardians have been absent or emotionally
unavailable, let society and education groom you, for you must take control of your own
reality.

I Thank You.