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Germany

Germany's Minister Of Family Affairs: Classic Fairy Tales Are Sexist

DIE ZEIT, SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG (Germany)

BERLIN - Lotte, the daughter of German Family Minister Kristina Schröder, is not yet two years old, but her mother is already busy helping her grow up to be a modern woman. Toward that end, Schröder says she is very selective when choosing her classic children's books, including the legendary Grimm’s fairy tale collection that include Cinderella, Snow White and Rapunzel.

Though she didn't single out any particular tale in the 19th-century German series, Schröder told Die Zeit that Grimm’s stories are often “sexist” and contain "very few positive female role models."

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Rapunzel in Dresden (photo: Kay Komer)

In general, she told Die Zeit, she didn’t see why in stories and explanations given to children God was almost always portrayed as a male figure. She also believes that telling children Biblical stories should be paired with stories based on evolutionary history.

According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, Schröder also has a problem with her copies of the Pippi Longstocking books by Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren, which uses the nickname “Negro King," for Pippi’s dad. Though the publishers have long since changed the name to South Seas King, the Schröder household seems to have older editions of the series. So when the expression comes up in the text, Schröder replaces it with something else “to protect my child from picking up expressions like that.”

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Society

Is Disney's "Wish" Spreading A Subtle Anti-Christian Message To Kids?

Disney's new movie "Wish" is being touted as a new children's blockbuster to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. But some Christians may see the portrayal of the villain as God-like and turning wishes into prayers as the ultimate denial of the true message of Christmas.

photo of a kid running out of a church

For the Christmas holiday season?

Joseph Holmes

Christians have always had a love-hate relationship with Disney since I can remember. Growing up in the Christian culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, all the Christian parents I knew loved watching Disney movies with their kids – but have always had an uncomfortable relationship with some of its messages. It was due to the constant Disney tropes of “follow your heart philosophy” and “junior knows best” disdain for authority figures like parents that angered so many. Even so, most Christians felt the benefits had outweighed the costs.

That all seems to have changed as of late, with Disney being hit more and more by claims from conservatives (including Christian conservatives) that Disney is pushing more and more radical progressive social agendas, This has coincided with a steep drop at the box office for Disney.

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