The room was lighted only by the soft yellow glow of the
table-lamp. The little boy trotted round the room on his
imaginary horse. In the arm-chair, near the table, sat his
Grandpa, following the kid's course through the half-closed
eyelids. Finally the boy got tired of his race and sat tired
at his Grandpa's lap. Tilting his head he tried to look into
the wrinkled face of the old man.
- Grandpa, tell me something...
- What do you want me to tell you? - asked Grandpa in a
sleepy voice.
- Tell me a story! - The boy pleaded.
- Well... - after few seconds, the Grandpa succumbed - Once
upon a time...

  Stop. Freeze. Cut. That's an all too familiar beginning
for so many tales we heard when we were children, and always
wanted more. Well, not this time. No, now I want something
different, and if you're looking for some new tales - go
look somewhere else.
  Have you ever stopped to think what those tales you've
heard when you were in diapers would do to your mind? Have
someone even bothered himself to check what effects these
tales could have on the only-now-forming characters, not to
talk about souls?
  I mean, did it ever happen to you that somewhere from the
back of your mind would emerge a forgotten childhood tale
and now, since you're a grown up, it all looked in a brand
new light.
 
  Take the "Snow-white". Seven midgets, oh... sorry, gnomes
(sounds much better that way, doesn't it) and a beautiful
woman living in one house. Now, you really want to tell me
that I'm the only one who finds this situation, let's say
just a bit unusual.
  For once, I can't think of seven grown-up men, even if
they're gnomes living in one house. Somehow I find it
impossible, to say the least. C'mon, you ever lived with
roommates of your own age? I did. Three people, each one
with his own problems, habits, views and whims. Believe me,
sometimes it looks like the beginning of WW III. Now, you
want to tell me that seven grown up men, no relatives of any
kind (I've checked, so don't argue with me) could've lived
in one, not so big a house for any considerable length of
time without going insane, burning the house down or killing
each other. Yeah, right.
  Now this is only a minor flaw. There's one much more
note-worthy, which is the presence of Snow-white there.
Let's suppose that somehow, in a miraculous way, the seven
gnomes managed not to kill each other and live in a rather
peaceful manner until she arrived. Will you try to convince
me the balance stayed untipped?
Seven men, one woman - all in one house. I think I'll just
let your imagination make the conclusions.
  And what about the prince? He comes, sees the girl for
the first time and kisses her on the spot, while she's still
asleep. And people wonder why there are so many cases of
sexual harassment nowadays.
  How about another tale: "The Beauty and the Beast". A
girl on the run finds a castle whose owner is a hideous
beast. Actually he's a gorgeous prince. Ok, so far so good.
Now, after the girls read it they just want their prince.
And the boys? Oh...they're in for some raging
disappointments. How come? Well probably because in that
tale the emphasis is on the character, not on the
appearance. Mind you, that's true only for the men in tales.
Women are always beautiful even if they were a swan or a
frog.
  Now you show me a girl who would like to have a nice but
not good-looking guy, and I'll show a monkey that can read
Shakespeare.
  Of course, there'll be a lot of people who can argue that
those tales are pure fiction and it's their moral message
that is important. I couldn't agree more. But let me know of
someone in the age of 5, who knows what moral means, or was
explained and understood the metaphors and their
consequences in real life.
 
  Some would say I'm being too sarcastic. Could be.

People fall in love? - Great.
They get married? - God bless them.
They live happily ever after? - Suppose they do... (Though I
find it hard to believe)  
 
Let me just ask you one question. If you had the chance,
with all the knowledge you now have, would you like to
change something in the way you were brought up?  
 Well... if you're reading it, I guess it's too late for
you, but hey... there's always the next generation...