This Ain't a Fairy Tale

I heard some sad, sad news the other day. A coworker and I were talking and she told me that she heard they were banning any sort of fairy tales in schools. FAIRY TALES! Now, I knew about the banning of certain books; in fact, Barnes & Noble stores were having a sale on these books. But now the banning of talk of fairy tales, all because they depict worlds with no God and show witchcraft. And people wonder what's wrong with the world today!
I'm serious about that last comment. I believe that's part of what is wrong with the world today. Without "fairy tales" (and this is of any kind, from Cinderella to Tom Sawyer to Harry Potter), we are taking away imaginations and the ability for people to think for themselves. We're taking away an alternate world for people to get away to if the day isn't going as planned. I know that certain fictions aren't being banned from the public, but by not allowing children to read them is teaching them at a young age that what you see is what you get. It doesn't allow them to think outside the box. This is a problem, even moreso than allowing the younger generations to watch too much TV or play video games. Fairy tales and fictions (if they are written well) teach right and wrong, cause and effect, just about any lesson you wish to teach.
People are "going crazy" these days because they have this reality and none other. They can't take their aggressions out in a sword fight or a duel of magic. They can't fall in love with a prince or a damsel in distress, or even have hope. That's what a lot of fictions have...hope. Goals in life. Even if it's to find the treasure or get the ring into the mountain. They keep going because they don't give up hope. If there's a challenge or an obstacle, they find an alternate route (going back to the thinking-outside-of-the-box thing).
As I said before, it's a sad, sad world out there. And it only seems to be getting more depressing.