We read The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss on the first Monday after the US presidential election. Kathy picked the story for the Book Club a few weeks before the election.
In this story, there were the Star-Belly Sneetches and the Plain-Belly Sneetches on the beaches. All the Star-Belly Sneetches would brag, “ We’re the best kind of Sneetches on the beaches,” Even though the stars upon their bellies were really very small.
I think the Star-Belly Sneetches act like Adolf Hitler, who asserted, “The German ‘Aryan’ race was gifted above all other races.”
The Star-Belly Sneetches discriminated against the Plain-Belly Sneetches year after year, because the Plain-Belly Sneetches had none stars upon their bellies.
One day, a stranger zipped up on the beach while the Plain-Belly Sneetches were sitting there and whishing their bellies had stars. The stranger announced, “My friends, I’ve heard of your troubles. I’ve heard you’re unhappy. But I can fix that. And my prices are low.”
I think he sounds like what Donald Trump has claimed, “Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it.”
Of course, the Plain-Belly Sneetches paid to have stars upon their bellies. Then, all Sneetches were just the same. However, the ones who had stars at the first place thought that they were still the best Sneetches. The stranger came up to the ones who had stars at the start and he said, “So you don’t know who’s who. But come with me, friends. I’ll make you, again, the best Sneetches on beaches.”
I think he sounds like what Donald Trump has said, “I am your voice. We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again and we will make America great again.”
For being the best Sneetches on beaches again, the ones who had stars at the first place paid more than the Plain-Belly Sneetches to take off the stars from their tummies. Then, they shouted, “We know who is who! Now there isn’t a doubt. The best kind of Sneetches is Sneetches without!” They seemed to give up the stars easily. Maybe that meant the stars were not so important as they thought.
From then on, the stranger kept fixing up Sneetches to remove the stars again and get rid of the stars again until every last cent of their money was spent.
I’m so surprised that the Sneetches woke up after the stranger left. They finally realized that no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches. Sneetches are Sneetches.
I hope that we humans will wake up like the Sneetches one day. Don’t let opportunists keep taking advantage of our divisions.
How appropriate it was to read this story right after the election, even though The Sneetches was published as early as 1961.
* The Sneetches
Viola, 2016/11/17 evening at Austin
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