Sneetches

The more I think of life in our age, the more I like Dr. Seuss's book The Sneetches.

The yellow, birdish Sneetches are all basically the same, but for some reason half of them have green stars on their bellies and half don't:



The stars are a status symbol that gives the wearer privilege and benefits the others don't have. One day, a capitalist huckster comes to town and uses a  machine to put stars on the bellies of the starless Sneetches:


The former elite can't stand this idea, and quickly pay him to remove their stars. Now being starless is the way to be if you want to be the best.

You can guess where this absurdist story goes next: the Sneetches line up to add and remove stars until no one can tell who originally had a star and who didn't.


The huckster makes a pile of money and rides away happy.

The only unrealistic thing about Seuss's tale is that, at the end, they all realize how silly it was and shake hands, finally equal (and out of money).

Now that's a fairy tale.