Fairy Tales and Reality Shows Have a Lot In Common

Yesterday I was in the library and one of the librarians was reading Jack and the Bean Stock to a group of kids. I remembered it as a kid, so I stopped to listen. 

I find that as an Adult I realized that I have a completely different view of this story. I have to ask… what is the moral?

Here is my interpretation of the story of Jack and The BeanStock:   This kid, Jack, is too lazy to walk his cow all the way to town, so he sells her to the first guy he meets who has nothing but a fist full of beans. So, right off the bat we know this kid is probably the result of some sort of inbreeding.

Then, fortunately for him the seeds grow into an enormous bean stock which he climbs and finds a house where a giant lives. This giant has a goose that lays golden eggs. Jack steals this goose. The goose holler’s which alerts the Giant (so obviously the goose didn’t want to go with Jack). The Giant chases Jack, but as soon as Jack gets to the ground he chops the bean stock down, thus causing the Giant to fall (committing manslaughter).  The story ends there with Jack and his mom (which obviously is a story in itself) living happily ever after on the riches of the golden eggs the goose is now forced to lay for them whenever they choose.

So, as an adult I’m hearing that this Jack fellow is lazy, is a thief and killer. Yet, he and his mother live happily ever after? How is it this okay?

What is the message here? That giants are bad people? Unless you are an A’s fan, I don’t see how that generalization can be made.

It made me realize how wrong all those stories were that I grew up with, yet somehow they do relate to today's society.  For example:  

~The woman who lived in a shoe with so many children she didn’t what to do….slut?...or Octomom?
(Of course we also have Kate plus 8 and Angelina Jolie as well) 

~Goldilocks committed a break-in and should be considered a thief.  However, she is painted as victim, because she was scared by some bears.  (Lindsay Lohan?  The stars of Pretty Wild?)

~Three Men in a Tub?  It sounds like a porno in the making. (Today we have the Kardashians and Paris Hilton who are only famous because of a sex tape.)

I think I'm starting to understand the meaning of these old fairy tales.  I think the true message of these stories is that the world is effed up!


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