Trump Says He Told Pence to Ignore Governors in Hard-Hit Areas If They Are 'Not Appreciative'

[raging moderate]

47. Voltaire wrote a story about a ruler like Trump getting his just desserts.

I can't seem to find my copy of Voltaire, but I remember this story I read many years ago. A wise emperor heard that one of the rulers in a land under his control was lording it over his subjects, bullying and insulting them, and demanding constant praise and appreciation.

The wise emperor sent a team of special ambassadors to the viceroy with the strict command that precisely prescribed elaborate ceremonial honors were to be paid to this guy. The viceroy at first was overjoyed, but he soon changed his mind. On the emperor's command, the honors team surrounded this guy in his bed at 5 am every morning, and he wasn't allowed to get up or eat breakfast until he had listened for two hours to elaborate and exaggerated paeons of praise and flattery about him. Then, just as lunch was about to be served, they surrounded him and launched another two-hour praise/flattery service, as his lunch grew cold on the serving cart. And again, just as his dinner was about to be served, they surrounded him for another praise/flattery ceremony. In addition, three of them followed him all day long. Whenever he was about to speak, one said, "He's sure to be right!" As he was speaking, a second said, "He is right!" After he spoke, a third said, "He's always right!" In the end of the story, the viceroy eventually sent a message to his emperor, abjecting begging to have the praise/flattery treatment ended, with a plaintive promise to change his behavior.

If only we had such an emperor.