[HANASHIR:8685] chad gadya

[PAPE Janet, IEA/OME <Janet.PAPE...>]

As a social worker, I can attest that young children certainly harbour
extremely violent fantasies, and it is a gross misunderstanding to think
that expurgating mention of violence and/or death will change their relation
to societal violence or their own violent tendencies.  Actually,
acknowledging the violence in the world in playful ways such as in the
lyrics of a song (certainly no violence is committed in singing a song!)
helps alleviate young kids' fears that their fantasies are wicked and
extraordinary and that they should be as severely punished for them as the
severity of their fantaisies.  This is why fairy tales often treat issues of
cruelty, as way for children to master their aggression.

Janet Pape

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