Being Danish, I grew up with the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen as part and parcel of my early life. Like many things Danish, these were not merely "stories for children," they typically were also cautionary tales about life.
Perhaps one of the most familiar H.C.Andersen stories is that of "The Emperor's New Clothes."
Since we have a Danish theme, here's a Danish house near where I grew up
For those not familiar with the story, the "thumbnail version" of this tale is of a self-important and greedy emperor who — in his urgency to be "superior" — is swindled by a couple of crooked weavers who make him believe that their "invisible cloth" is the finest there is. He is surrounded by toadies and yes-men who wish to garner his favor, so they all end up agreeing that the invisible clothes are the finest that ever were.
It is not until the emperor walks in an important parade in his underwear that a small child — who has no allegiance to anything but truth — points out that he is, in fact, wearing no clothes.
The Cautionary Tale
In many parts of the world, the cautionary tale of "The Emperor's New Clothes" is used as an illustration to be careful that you don't get attached to things that aren't there.
Butterfly and flower
It suggests that we look behind the smoke and mirrors, and worry less about appearances. Like in "The Wizard of Oz," we're encouraged to look at what's behind the curtain.
In addition the tale illustrates the value of "The Innocent" (the child) who doesn't care about power, influence and appearances; the Innocents merely calls the situation as it is seen, and looks through the carefully fabricated house of cards.
We see this analogy used frequently in the context of scams and dodgy propostions.
In our little microcosm of cryptocurrencies, one might say that the late "great" BitConnect was an example of the Emperor's New Clothes, in the sense that it was mostly a "shell appearance" with no substance below.
But Whatever Happened to the Crooked Weavers?
As a kid — and subsequently as an adult — I have lots of appreciation for this particular fable/analogy.
That said, I have always ended up with an unanswered question: Whatever happened to the crooked weavers?
Purple Irises
History (and society — and this is where Steemit also comes into the picture) gets all wrapped up in the stupidity and greed of the Emperor, and in the brightness of the Innocent Child who sees through the smoke screen and calls out the truth.
However, the weavers were the instigators; the crooks; the people who engaged in unethical, manipulative and immoral behavior. In a sense, they were very early examples of "gaming the system," and yet they go scot-free, unmentioned, unpunished for having set up the situation, in the first place.
The idealist in me looks at that, and then looks at greater society where we laugh at the gullible, laud the whistle blowers and largely forget about the mindset that gave rise to the problems in the first place.
I remember being bullied as a kid, and whereas that was all good and well, the ultimate "response" amounted to little more than "Well, boys will be boys."
Raised to its current day fully adult status, that sounds like "crooked behavior is just human nature, there's nothing we can do about it."
Really?
The Weavers of Steemit
Of course, Steemit has its own "Emperors" and its own "Weavers."
Standing stones in the woods
The analogy of the Weavers could easily be applied to the many "for pay" Upvote Bot services and Resteem services which provide (often greedy would-be "Emperors") users with the illusion that they are doing well... when, in fact, the only people ultimately doing well are the "Weavers" themselves.
And — much like the weavers in Andersen's 180-year old fable — they are not really held accountable for their influence on the society ("Steemit") they inhabit.
Again, I must frame this opinion within my own reality of tending to view the world through an idealistic lens; a mindset that believes that when people are offered a better option, they will use it wisely as intended, rather than exploit it. Which probably makes me pretty naive.
History tends to show — sadly — that much human activity happens as a result of exploitative intent, rather than mindful intent.
A Crisis of Faith
Having a "Crisis of Faith" is more of a figure of speech for me, than a spiritual statement.
Salvia in bloom
A few weeks back, 
My Crisis of Faith is related to this creeping feeling that people are becoming increasingly self-involved to the point that they are only capable of contemplating their own immediate microcosms, but not "the whole" organism they are part of.
And it feels worrisome, and I am struggling to find a positive attitude; a point of light to move towards. It's troubling, because I am usually able to find my way through (metaphorical) darkness pretty well.
How About You? Are you familiar with "The Emperor's New Clothes?" What do YOU think it means? Is it just a children's story, or is it a timeless cautionary tale? What do you think happened to the Weavers? SHOULD something have happened to them, or is their "crookedness" simply a "bit player" on a greater scene? Does the world seem to be growing ever more self-involved? Did you read Luke's post? What did you think? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
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(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 180404 11:04 PDT