The Emperor Has No Clothes

Nakedness is the subject of one of the most famous folk parables of power: Hans Christian Andersen’s tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” A vain emperor is visited by two “weavers” who promise that their fabric is not only exquisitely beautiful but also, shall we say, revealing: “clothes made of this cloth had a wonderful way of becoming invisible to anyone who was unfit for his office, or who was unusually stupid.”

Spotting a chance to both acquire a new set of clothes and discover which of his subjects and ministers are unfit, the emperor commissions a magnificent set of clothes from…