The Parable of the Regent and the Political Cartoon

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, on the anniversary of Tiananmen Square, with all the memes on the Chinese internet, are memes taking the place of physical protest in China, and will they be effective?”

Josh spoke thus:

A regent was looking at a political cartoon with an aide.

“It makes me look ridiculous,” the regent said.

“It is not flattering, majesty,” the aide said.

“Look at my nose there,” the regent said, “It’s huge.  It's way out of proportion, and it makes me look foreign.”

“The point is to make you look foreign,” the aide said, “The cartoon is questioning your legitimacy as regent.”

“I know what the point of the cartoon is,” the regent said, “But did they have to make me look so...?”

“Middle Eastern?” the aide asked.

“Well, if you must be so course,” the regent said, “Yes, we’ll say Middle Eastern.”

“You are the Defender of the Faith,” the aide said, “And our faith is not Middle Eastern.”

“Well, technically...” the regent said.

“Well, it was so long ago, it doesn’t count,” the aide said, “The point is they want you to look like you want to bring a Middle Eastern faith here.”

“But that’s absurd!” the regent said, “None of our holidays are Middle Eastern!”

“None of our anything is Middle Eastern,” the aide said, “Apart from some immigrants.”

“And some food,” the regent said.

“And some food,” the aide said, “Food you may want to take off the menu for a while.”

“So they don’t make cartoons of me eating Middle Eastern food?” the regent asked.

“They’ve already made cartoons of you eating Middle Eastern food,” the aide said.

“So because they don’t like me, they want to make me a foreigner,” the regent said, “They’ll have to do better than that.  But still, that nose!  And that belly!  This cartoon has to go.”

“That’s easier said than done,” the aide said.

“I thought the point of ruling a country was that people did what you say,” the regent said.

“Normally yes,” the aide said, “But these pamphlets are everywhere.”

“Made on a printing press, no doubt,” the regent said.

“They’re all the rage for politics,” the aide said.

“Well now they’re all the rage for bonfires,” the regent said, “Burn them all.”

“All?” the aide asked.

The regent replied, “All but ours.  Let’s see if we can’t pass around a few big noses ourselves.”