For RM Stockton's March Write Club Prompt that you can read about here
The Dancer
He was the best, admired by many and complimented by more.
He had been a classical ballet dancer since before he was a teenager, and became renowned. Then his fame spread and he became the most respected dancer in the land.
Then the rumours started.
He was deformed.
He was a cheat.
He was a bully.
He should be ignored.
He was mad and needed to be in an asylum.
None of this was true.
The rumours were spread by one who wanted him gone.
He was unaware of the rumours and accusations, but the crowds who came to watch him became thinner and thinner.
The rumours became more and more insistent.
You could hear in the street and audience:
"He is mad"
"He needs putting away"
"We need to complain to the police and authority"
"The new guy is who we should follow"
These were the words of the new guy, and the crowd believed the words of the new guy.
The Dancer's days and hours were numbered.
The police and authorities came and arrested the Dancer. He was declared not safe to be in public on the advice of the new guy. He was put in a padded cell in a straitjacket.
The public now saw the grace of The Dancer replaced by the imbecilic movement of the new guy and they believed that the new guy was the answer because that was what he told them.
Concluding Observation
The Dancer was declared mad, but the real madness was in the crowds that followed the new guy and believed his words. They had discarded a treasure and taken up with the vacuum that remained.
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Comments (5)
Chilling story… ‘ The Dancer was declared mad, but the real madness was in the crowds that followed the new guy and believed his words. They had discarded a treasure and taken up with the vacuum that remained.’ So sad!
Salieri's bitterness towards Mozart sends him into madness. In a mental hospital, he announces himself as "the patron saint of mediocrity. Since the beginning of time. Cain killed Abel and so it goes on.
Mike, this had a real Emperor's New Clothes vibe to it. Many people will believe whatever they are told to believe, even when their eyes tell them otherwise. Great story!
Sadly, this happens around the world across so many field of work. People are crazy!
The perfect metaphor for Donald Trump & all things MAGA, not to mention every other tyrant in the world.