The emperor has no clothes – and no pulse

A 19^th century Dane named Hans Christian Andersen (a fine fellow despite his hateful middle name) published a story about an emperor who was conned into buying “new clothes.”

He was told by the con men that the “new clothes” could be seen only by people who were not stupid. The reason the con men told the emperor that was because these “new clothes” he’d paid for were nonexistent.

Not willing to reveal his stupidity, the emperor pretended to see the “new clothes” presented to him. He pantomimed putting on the nonexistent “new clothes,” and then paraded about the city in them. Because the “new clothes” did not actually exist, the emperor was simply naked.

The people got conned, too. Like the emperor, they had been advised that these “new clothes” were not visible to stupid people. Therefore, they too pretended to see an emperor in new clothes, not an emperor in the buff. Like the obsequious subjects they were, they even pretended to like these “new clothes.” Maybe in their self-deceptive minds’ eyes, they did see fine new clothes.

Finally, a child wandered by. Not sophisticated in the sham, the con, the self-deception or the obsequiousness, he saw the naked emperor and exclaimed “The emperor has no clothes!”

That child’s shriek of truth broke the spell on the people who had been enthralled, entranced or enslaved into believing that the emperor had new clothes.

The emperor’s poll numbers cratered.

The emperor himself, however, was prouder than ever. He took the people’s rejection as proof that they were too stupid to see his splendiferous new clothes. And besides, he told himself, these stupid people hadn’t really turned on him – polls are always wrong.

Stupid people love me, he reassured himself.

A couple centuries later, we have another emperor. He imperiously flauts the law, makes up self-aggrandizing stories, abolishes the nation’s border (as well as its guardrails), slurs his words, forgets how to get off the stage (literally and figuratively), refers to “insurrectionists” as “erectionists” (Soviet jewelry, anyone?), and boasts of defying Supreme Court orders (George Wallace, anyone?).

He sells political influence to foreigners to enrich his grifty family headed by a non-physician wife who wants to be called “doctor” and whose relationship with him began while she was married to someone else, brags that Bidenomics reduced inflation from 9% when he took office (while in fact it was then 1.4%), and sniffs the hair of little girls he’s never met while whispering that he has a puppy in his van to show them.  

Like that other emperor, this emperor, his crooked entourage and his delusional followers are unable or unwilling to see the true state of the man. They all imagine that his deficiencies, decrepitude and dishonesty are fine and beautiful. He, because he enjoys being emperor, and they, because this “emperor” does what they tell him to, and even does his feeble best to speak what they write.

Anyone not able to “see” this beauty of a man is a threat to democracy and must be stopped – by any means necessary, including undemocratic ones. Never mind that democracy is long dead in the realm.

We need a child to shriek “He has no clothes!” How about that carrot-topped kid?