Hail to Der Doofus

“One of the few things that Kaiser Wilhelm II, who ruled Germany from 1888 to 1918, had a talent for was causing outrage. . . .

“‘Distractions, whether they are little games with his army or navy, travelling or hunting — are everything to him,’ a disillusioned former mentor wrote. ‘He reads very little apart from newspaper cuttings, hardly writes anything himself apart from marginalia on reports and considers those talks best which are quickly over and done with.’ 

“The Kaiser’s entourage compiled press cuttings for him, mostly about himself, which he read as obsessively as Trump watches television. A critical story would send him into paroxysms of fury.” 

—Miranda Carter, WWI historian, “What Happens When a Bad-Tempered, Distractible Doofus Runs an Empire?” The New Yorker, June 6, 2018.

• Editorial Comment: Piffle. That could never happen.

PeezPix 

Tree Frog
 

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“I don’t think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard