\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTR Harry\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubmitted photo\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
By TR Harry | Scottsdale<\/p>\n
A recap of \u201cThe Emperor\u2019s New Clothes,\u201d a widely known fable penned in 1837 by Hans Christian Andersen, goes something like this:<\/p>\n
A vain emperor, obsessed with fashion, hires two swindlers who claim they can weave a magical fabric invisible to anyone unfit for their position or foolish. Intrigued by the idea, the emperor commissions a suit made from this fabric, hoping to identify incompetent officials.<\/p>\n
The weavers pretend to work on empty looms, and everyone \u2014 afraid of being seen as unfit or stupid \u2014 pretends to see the nonexistent clothes. The emperor himself, not wanting to appear foolish, goes along with the charade and parades through the\u00a0city in his \u201cnew clothes.\u201d Finally, a child in the crowd blurts out the obvious: \u201cBut he isn\u2019t wearing anything at all!\u201d The crowd realizes the truth, yet the emperor, too proud to admit the deception, continues his procession undeterred.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
This story, now almost 200 years old, seems to suggest itself as a plotline to highlight \u2014 if not to directly expose \u2014 current-day situations challenging the public reminiscent of the fable\u2019s vainly obsessed emperor. So, here\u2019s a modern retelling infused with a touch of satire, a nod to media ecosystems and a whisper of democratic reflection.<\/p>\n
All emperors, and the many wannabes in our current world \u2014oriented as it is toward (actually addicted to) multiple sources of mostly unfiltered or minimally fact-checked competing social media sources, and 24\/7 availability of media influencing programing perennially seeking \u201cnews\u201d\u2014 aim for one objective, a direct public link, which in turn, they believe, leads to increasing personal power and influence.<\/p>\n
Some are more responsible than others in how and how much they take advantage of these open information outlets. Others believe whatever they feel like saying is their prerogative. Their vain obsession allows them to say and\/or claim\u00a0what they want, no matter that the facts, or history, might find easily challengeable. So what? The \u201clikes\u201d keep rolling in from followers, stroking their vanity.<\/p>\n
Who might we highlight as \u201can obsessed emperor\u201d for our updated fable?\u201d One needn\u2019t look far to find public figures whose digital wardrobes are stitched from self-congratulation and spin. I\u2019m reminded of a national political personality who mirrors the above description of\u00a0social media dependence and usage.<\/p>\n
The Influencer\u2019s New Fit There was once a nation, proud and vast, where the garments of governance, more often than not, were being stitched not from policy or principle, but from optics. It was a nation ruled not by principals with principles, but by clicks (likes\/dislikes) without conscience.<\/p>\n The emperor had no army, no laws, no land \u2014 but he had followers. Lots and lots of them. Legitimacy no longer came from wisdom or service, but from virality. His power lay in his political wardrobe, curated daily for the algorithm; he was a master of appearances. His robes were woven from polling data, his crown gilded with cable news segments and his scepter carved from trending hashtags.<\/p>\n One day, two consultants arrived, promising a new kind of political attire. They claimed to craft a revolutionary outfit \u2014 so exclusive, so enlightened \u2014 that only the truly woke could see it. \u201cIt\u2019s not just political fashion,\u201d they said. \u201cIt\u2019s a statement. If you can\u2019t see it, you\u2019re part of the problem.\u201d \u201cThis suit,\u201d they said, \u201cis invisible to the uninformed. Only the truly patriotic can see it.\u201d<\/p>\n The emperor, always eager to appear enlightened and unassailable, commissioned the outfit immediately, livestreaming the process. The tailors sent empty garment bags and posted cryptic captions: \u201cThe fit is beyond form. #PerceptionIsPower.\u201d The tailors spun nothing but jargon and spin. They held press conferences with no substance, drafted legislation with no teeth and called it \u201cbold reform.\u201d Advisers nodded solemnly. Commentators praised the emperor\u2019s \u201cvision.\u201d The public, unsure whether they were missing something or being gaslit, remained silent.<\/p>\n His advisers, minions all, terrified of being labeled regressive or inept, praised the invisible political ensemble. Fashion critics called it \u201ctranscendent minimalism.\u201d The media ran think pieces: \u201cIs Clothing Overrated?\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, the emperor unveiled his new look at the Global Summit on Truth and Transparency, where he declared victory over problems not solved, unity not achieved and truths not spoken. He strutted the stage in nothing but his confidence and a pair of Adidas celebrity Yeezys.<\/p>\n \n The crowd applauded \u2014 until a child watching the stream from her tablet said, \u201cHe\u2019s not wearing anything. He\u2019s just naked.\u201d<\/p>\n The comment went viral.<\/p>\n The emperor paused. He could delete the video, block the child, spin the narrative. But instead, he smiled, struck a pose and said for all to hear, \u201cThis is vulnerability. This is leadership.\u201d And the likes kept rolling in.<\/p>\n The crowd stirred. Some laughed nervously. Others turned away. But a few began to converse among themselves. It was a start.<\/p>\n So ends our update, with just a hint of uncertainty.<\/p>\n Despite its clearly individual focus, this reflection isn\u2019t simply about one leader, nor any one party. It\u2019s about an increasingly vulnerable and by-polar, money-driven political system that tends to reward illusion over integrity, performance over principle. It\u2019s about the tailors we empower \u2014 consultants, media strategists, donors \u2014 who profit from the emperor\u2019s nakedness.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s about the crowd, who must decide whether to clap, to look away, or to speak up. The child\u2019s voice reminds us: truth isn\u2019t always popular, but it is always necessary.<\/p>\n What say you?<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: TR Harry is the pen name of a Scottsdale-based author who writes primarily about politics and religion<\/a> on his blog. Please submit comments at\u00a0yourvalley.net\/letters<\/a> or email them to AzOpinions@inusua.org.\u00a0We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our\u00a0Civility Guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TR Harry Submitted photo By TR Harry | Scottsdale A recap of \u201cThe Emperor\u2019s New Clothes,\u201d a widely…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":209555,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,1589,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-209554","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-phoenix","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-united-states-of-america","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","16":"tag-us","17":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115167308442963413","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/strong>A modern fable inspired by Hans Christian Andersen<\/p>\n