It’s interesting to see the rejection of the cultural tradition that for hundreds of years, children’s stories were basically warnings that “There are bad people in the world and they will try to trick you”.

There was the evil witch in Hansel and Gretel who lures kids with candy in order to eat them. 

In China, Monkey saves his naive, softhearted friends from evil demons and scolds them: “You can’t take pity on a demon!” 

Those kinds of cautionary tales are now being replaced by a new cultural morality in stories like Wicked that say “no one is really evil, there are only misunderstood people who were wronged by society”

This new narrative certainly reflects a more comforting perspective about the world we live in, but are children truly better off for it?

Does a false sense of security, secretly maintained only by the presence of powerful adults, really prepare kids for the challenges of the real world?

Ironically, I think the traditional stories are more empowering, as they give kids the tools to keep themselves safe as they explore the world independently.