The Emperor's New Clothes! ( Ship Of Fools ) by Alfred N.Muggins

24/5/26
    Alfred wished sometimes that he (they! - all of us?) could turn back the clock. To go back to before the insipid/unrelenting/undeniable force of Facebook (and now also Threads) had taken over his life. He now used it as his main news source, as no one could completely trust the TV news stations/programmes any more.
      Even the BBC, which did have a good track record over the years! Now the news channels and programmes were increasingly under the supervision of owners or governors who seemed to be holding some news stories , subjects, or news explanations back, and promoting unnecessary, skewed or even frivolous stories and explanations, before real truths and explanations could be told.
      Their overpolite references to the most obvious scoundrel in the world, and his colleagues, despite the fact that he and the forces behind him were so dangerous to decency and economics and the survival of sensible politics and harmony, just because he happened to be the President of the United States, apalled him.
      The situation had long since turned into a version of the old Hans Christian Anderson 'Emperor's New Clothes' Tale, and the continuation of this gross and incredible pretence continued to make his whole being feel poisoned, and his brain whirl in confusion and upset. All that he had once thought reliable and sensible was now revealed as convenient/self serving/exagerated or trouble avoiding. Even nations outside of America were struggling from his mallaise.
      The continuing putting of Netanyahoo and the Israeli right on a pedestal, as if to say they were still balanced and reasonable, was another example of the skewed news they got these days. He needed Facebook (and Threads) to restore the balance and give alternative views, detail and information, but he still wished it were not so, because he wasted (far!) too much of his precious time, relentlessly scrolling and taking in information, thoughts and opinions, in order to stay informed and up to date with the volatile world picture.
      Threads was the same. He found he had such a passion to hear those genuine opinions, takes and bits of information that he wanted to record a large number of them every day, copying them (before they disappeared) onto his Facebook Your Story (for a precious few 'friends' to read them), and then, as they would only stay on Your Story for 24 hours he felt the pressure to record them onto his fast growing and precious 'Muggins Files' (that had the ring of the Epstein Files! and the idea that he could somehow contain the truth and the real history of the times in this ever expanding collection!) He was now on file number 28, and had been increasingly doing it since last October (2025). These would perhaps provide the basis and guide to a future book of the Trumpenstein Chronicles and History of the upended and risky times they were all living in.
     With the ICE shootings (and of course Abductions) of January 2026 (and before (and after!), the snatching of Maduro and Invasion of Venezuela, things had just continued to heat up and get worse, in particular the reckless (and pointless, not to mention stupid/foolish) attacks upon Iran (and Lebanon, and upon the World Economy!) by a fully revealed stupid/foolish President, and his lackeys! The rate of his copying of Threads comments for future reference and sharing had gone up exponentially!
     Then, as even that War got a bit boring, and turned into a 'ceasefire' and Trumpenstein's embarassing peace negotiations, which never got anywhere because he couldn't stop making threats, even though he had basically lost the war, but couldn't admit it! ('Emperor's New Clothes' once again!!)
     The best thing (and easiest (most obvious) for the Western World and America) would have been to just ditch their stupid, reckless and incompetant President, but unfortunately 'NO' the office of President had to be respected, however many people might die, however much the American Treasury (or Creditors and taxpayers) might be plundered, and however many unwinnable and pointless wars might be started, and however much economic damage might be done to America and its people, and all of its erstwhile allies and friends in the middle east and around the world. But they wouldn't, couldn't just ditch him, could they? Oh well, the show must go on, and on, and on, until the entire destruction (desecration?!) of America, and the entire world, was achieved. America seemed to be trapped by its own traditions/constitution and subservience to stupidity and big money, even when the group and President in power were so uncaring of those traditions and constitution and never followed them correctly. He supposed that was just life and history in the making, and they would all have to put up with it. Perhaps it was just America's fate? (like the sinking of the Titannic?)