We have all likely heard the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes.
Two swindlers tricked the emperor into believing they had made him the most beautiful new suit of clothes. However, in reality, these “clothes” were nothing more than air and clever words. The courtiers and servants, fearing the emperor’s wrath (should they point out this trickery), kept their opinions of reality to themselves. To keep their positions in court, they paid lip service to what they believed the king wanted to hear. Of course, as time went on, the lie became self-sustaining. After all, at this point, if the king found out about the ruse, their jobs (and perhaps their heads) would be at risk. So the lie spread outwards. Throughout the court, people were required to profess their belief in something they could see was untrue, and each made sure the other maintained the delusion to protect their own part in the lie. That is, until a child — untouched by the pressures of preserving position or revoking his rational faculties to fit popular opinion — spoke a truth that tore right to the heart of the mass charade: “But…he hasn’t got anything on!”
Diana West gives us a brilliant look into contemporary society as she deliberates on what the emperor might do next:
“Will the emperor or his chamberlains brazen it out, cowing the people into…
