The Fable of The Coyote and the Ape*
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Photo by Lorne Kenyon, December 24 2020 in Bellingham, WA. USA (Used with permission)
"Any animal without a tail is banished from my kingdom!" proclaimed the lion-king.
He waved his own tail dramatically. "All animals must have tails. If not, be gone before nightfall!"
The ape had no tail, so he packed his bags and prepared to leave.
He was surprised to see the wily coyote packing her bags too.
"You have a most impressive tail!" said the ape. "The lion-king's command doesn't apply to you."
"True," said the coyote. "But this king is a danger to us all: at any moment he could condemn me for no reason just as he has condemned you."
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A colleague inquired recently, “Are there Aesop fables with coyotes?”
Alas, no, but – taking great editorial liberty – I have replaced the fox in Laura Gibbs, “The Fox and The Ape” with a foxy coyote!
It seems a perfect fit.
The coyote – surviving off the land – knows a capricious leader when he sees one.
Yes, the lion may be a harmless eccentric. But, the coyote knows better. The lion’s random act of banning tail-less creatures likely presages more oppression.
Like Orwell’s Napoleon the pig, our Lion is well on his way to proclaiming “All Animals Are Equal, Some Animals Are More Equal than Others” and justifying further subjugation of anyone resisting his goal of totalitarianism.
There are no Stalin-like bosses, you say!
Well, what about the petty tyrant, the one that schemes, undermines and plots your demise?
True, you’re not going to be taken out back and shot in the head.
Instead, the restrained tyrant conspires for your rigged departure, a less brutal form of liquidation.
*Source: Laura Gibbs, the Fox and the Ape.
© Copyright all text John Lubans 2020
John Lubans - portrait by WSJ