I think a fine line has to be drawn somewhere in the matter of what the expectation in an ideal world is.
Total eradication of foxes because they are annoying and "dirty" so to speak is unreasonable. They have been around for a long time, and are a part of the ecosystem in the area. As has been pointed out.

However, encouraging them to come closer to humans, feeding them, and inviting them into spaces they would usually avoid, is more than reasonable. Especially when the interaction involves littering or non edible objects.

The same argument could be made about cats too on many levels, but lets hope it doesn't go that way or my dogs will be working overtime!

On a side note, I find the noises and actions of foxes quite amusing. Strange but true.