Readership has waned to a pathetic level, I apologize for using the Royal Nonesuch trick from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. The setting is after a few unsuccessful attempts to put up a "Shakespearean" show, two con artists known as the duke and the king added the "ladies and children not admitted" line to sucker Arkansans to Royal Nonesuch, insinuating x-rated content.
“There,” says he, “if that line don’t fetch them, I don’t know Arkansaw!”
In my previous posts, I confessed sometime we don't see the elephant in the room, other times we see the imaginary clothes of the Emperor. These childish stories are poignant because they ring true, adults simply don't have the courage to tell the truth all the time.
Turned out the entire show was just the king prancing around totally naked. Even it was true that the show wasn't suitable for ladies and children, the audience felt cheated, 50 cents was rather steep for a few laughs. Not wanting to be the laughingstock of the town people, the patrons agreed to praise the show instead so everyone would be in the same boat. Like the internet stock market bubble, Royal Nonesuch played to a full house for three days until they ran out of fools, the duke and the king were then chased out of town by the angry mob, not to mention class action lawsuits...
I like Mark Twain, I think his books are often too long but his intellect always comes through. One thing Mark Twain said will always stay with me, he said "I am a Boxer" when the Boxer Rebellion 義和團 was considered barbaric and shameful by all educated Chinese. I'm thankful Mark Twain recognized the fighting spirit of the Chinese, the same way I think Americans woud fight tooth and nail if we were invaded.
Of course we can do away with the ignorance of the Boxer Rebellion. The Japanese did most for the fighting for the Eight Nation Alliance 八國聯軍 as you can see in the second picture. I don't know what's the deal with the US and NATO in Libya, 110 years after the "rebellion", I hope we're not as much a fool on this April fools' day.
Update:
I found Mark Twain's I am a Boxer passage, as I said, how can you not admire his intellect?
Why should not China be free from the foreigners, who are only making trouble on her soil? If they would only all go home, what a pleasant place China would be for the Chinese! We do not allow Chinamen to come here, and I say in all seriousness that it would be a graceful thing to let China decide who shall go there.
China never wanted foreigners any more than foreigners wanted Chinamen, and on this question I am with the Boxers every time. The Boxer is a patriot. He loves his country better than he does the countries of other people. I wish him success. The Boxer believes in driving us out of his country. I am a Boxer too, for I believe in driving him out of our country.
In my previous posts, I confessed sometime we don't see the elephant in the room, other times we see the imaginary clothes of the Emperor. These childish stories are poignant because they ring true, adults simply don't have the courage to tell the truth all the time.
Turned out the entire show was just the king prancing around totally naked. Even it was true that the show wasn't suitable for ladies and children, the audience felt cheated, 50 cents was rather steep for a few laughs. Not wanting to be the laughingstock of the town people, the patrons agreed to praise the show instead so everyone would be in the same boat. Like the internet stock market bubble, Royal Nonesuch played to a full house for three days until they ran out of fools, the duke and the king were then chased out of town by the angry mob, not to mention class action lawsuits...
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| Headless Boxers (and Japanese) |
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| The Boxers |
Of course we can do away with the ignorance of the Boxer Rebellion. The Japanese did most for the fighting for the Eight Nation Alliance 八國聯軍 as you can see in the second picture. I don't know what's the deal with the US and NATO in Libya, 110 years after the "rebellion", I hope we're not as much a fool on this April fools' day.
Update:
I found Mark Twain's I am a Boxer passage, as I said, how can you not admire his intellect?
Why should not China be free from the foreigners, who are only making trouble on her soil? If they would only all go home, what a pleasant place China would be for the Chinese! We do not allow Chinamen to come here, and I say in all seriousness that it would be a graceful thing to let China decide who shall go there.
China never wanted foreigners any more than foreigners wanted Chinamen, and on this question I am with the Boxers every time. The Boxer is a patriot. He loves his country better than he does the countries of other people. I wish him success. The Boxer believes in driving us out of his country. I am a Boxer too, for I believe in driving him out of our country.
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