Oh do shut up

[doodab]

Richard Dawkins claims fairy tales are harmful to children - People - News - The Independent

He really is getting quite dull now, and what better way is there to "foster a spirit of scepticism" than to let kids realise for themselves that fairy stories aren't true?

[DodgyAgent]

Richard Dawkins claims fairy tales are harmful to children - People - News - The Independent

He really is getting quite dull now, and what better way is there to "foster a spirit of scepticism" than to let kids realise for themselves that fairy stories aren't true?

You mean every child should sign up to CUK?

[EternalOptimist]

Poisoned drips in hospitals, Rottweilers, even Rolfs are all dangerous to children.
Old Dawkins need to concentrate his brain cell in those directions

[xoggoth]

Quite. Atheist myself (in the sense I don't go with existing religions) but his atheism appears to be a faith. Fairy stories are brill and why are they any worse than Sci-Fi or fantasy?. Are we only supposed to read dull real stuff?

Loved reading mythology, esp Norse and Hindu, when I was kid. Arjuna woulda kicked Loci's ass.

[vwdan]

Quite. Atheist myself (in the sense I don't go with existing religions) but his atheism appears to be a faith. Fairy stories are brill and why are they any worse than Sci-Fi or fantasy?. Are we only supposed to read dull real stuff?

Loved reading mythology, esp Norse and Hindu, when I was kid. Arjuna woulda kicked Loci's ass.

Couldn't agree more - and if, as a child, you can't enjoy your imagination and the thought that anything may just be possible as a child then what's the point!

[TykeMerc]

What a silly position for him to take.

Fairy tales are just fantasy, some mythology and occasional moral stories, there's no harm in them and no religious hogwash around most.
Some of them in their older forms are thoroughly blood curdling nasty which kids love

[SpontaneousOrder]

Quite. Atheist myself (in the sense I don't go with existing religions) but his atheism appears to be a faith. Fairy stories are brill and why are they any worse than Sci-Fi or fantasy?. Are we only supposed to read dull real stuff?

Loved reading mythology, esp Norse and Hindu, when I was kid. Arjuna woulda kicked Loci's ass.

Not sure the bit on bold makes any sense.
But apart from that, are we sure that he's referring to fairy tales? or fairy truths which turn out later to be tales?

For example, I'd never tell my child that there was such a thing as a tooth fairy, etc.

[NotAllThere]

I can't remember who said it, but I entirely agree with the sentiment. Children should not be told monsters do not exist. They know monsters exist. They need fairy tales so they will know that monsters can be defeated.


OTOH, I've just finished reading the 13 Lemony Snicket books (a series of unfortunate incidents). Those books are brilliant, but the good guys don't exactly win and the bad guys don't exactly lose.

[d000hg]

G.K. Chesterton

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

Terry Pratchet has the right idea - "Bogeymen are sentient creatures who are often considered undead though they technically are not, since they haven't actually died. Bogeymen take shapes to scare people, especially kids. Some bogeymen are more comfortable under a bed, behind a door, or in a cellar. One of the few ways to subdue a bogeyman is to put a blanket on his head. The theory goes that everyone knows Bogeymen disappear if you put the blankets over your head, and so by putting a blanket over a Bogeyman's head his belief in his own existance is impaired. Apparently, light blue blankets are most effective but no-one seems to know why"