Emperor’s New Clothes
Yes, Hans Christian Andersen's. I’ve recently read, well, ok, listened (audio book) to the story again. I was saving some audio books on the mp3 for the kids to listen to before they go to sleep – well, not because I wanted to skip my telling them a story, well, ok, maybe that a little bit but ok, back to my point - and I rediscovered the story.
As usual, I laughed as I always had since I came upon the story when I was a little girl: at the vanity of the elites, the arrogance and pride of the ministers and authorities, and best of all their stupidity because of all that and not wanting to risk social status, a high ranking job, or being called a ‘simpleton’. Stupidity under the guise of intelligence. These people ‘of authority’, with ranks, thought to be wise and smart did not want to be the first to pull the plug on the trick and chose not to see and state the obvious of all. They would rather live with the lie, go with what the other ‘wise’ or ‘smart, ‘intelligent’ people have said and believe them than their instincts.
But the extent of the problem and the plot and conflict of the story have never dawned on me as it did now. At 10 years old, it did not really sink in back then how these things can have serious consequences. Surely there has to be more than just seeing a naked king and his pride in going nude in front of the whole kingdom!
Almost thirty years later, as I puffed on my cigarette at the front yard last night, intently listening to the story, the irony and the metaphor it offered on a plight I have recently reeled from made me realize how genius Andersen was. I think Andersen wrote it for the grown-ups because kids – well, I for that matter – will not have understood it even had it been explained well at age ten, when all my other ten year old problems at that time was my world.
Like discovering a magic spell that has been avoiding its fruition and finally nailing its name down to a short story, I was awed and humbled by the symbolism. I have been a victim of a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes.
As usual, I laughed as I always had since I came upon the story when I was a little girl: at the vanity of the elites, the arrogance and pride of the ministers and authorities, and best of all their stupidity because of all that and not wanting to risk social status, a high ranking job, or being called a ‘simpleton’. Stupidity under the guise of intelligence. These people ‘of authority’, with ranks, thought to be wise and smart did not want to be the first to pull the plug on the trick and chose not to see and state the obvious of all. They would rather live with the lie, go with what the other ‘wise’ or ‘smart, ‘intelligent’ people have said and believe them than their instincts.
But the extent of the problem and the plot and conflict of the story have never dawned on me as it did now. At 10 years old, it did not really sink in back then how these things can have serious consequences. Surely there has to be more than just seeing a naked king and his pride in going nude in front of the whole kingdom!
Almost thirty years later, as I puffed on my cigarette at the front yard last night, intently listening to the story, the irony and the metaphor it offered on a plight I have recently reeled from made me realize how genius Andersen was. I think Andersen wrote it for the grown-ups because kids – well, I for that matter – will not have understood it even had it been explained well at age ten, when all my other ten year old problems at that time was my world.
Like discovering a magic spell that has been avoiding its fruition and finally nailing its name down to a short story, I was awed and humbled by the symbolism. I have been a victim of a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes.
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