h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Its clear what this parable is supposed to be saying, its echoing your beliefs in the form of an analogy. But, it isn't a very good analogy because it doesn't refer to real life very realisticly. Its obvious what you are saying, but it isn't very persuasive. All it does is echo your statements in conversations and in oyur home space.

Also, those of us who take on the duty of arguing with you, who I suppose you are representing by Mr.Grumpy, don't catch you in error only in minor details. You are often caught in direct contradiction of yourself. Its as if we showed that you didn't know how to drive the car, or couldn't see it. Its not like we show you to be wrong about the exact diameter of a car part. Its as though you thught that the car was a submarine, or a rocket ship.

Isn't it strange that the young man never thought to show Mr Grumpy the car, and introduce the maker of the car, instead of sitting in the middle of the road making 'parp, parp, brrrmm' noises? That would have settled the argument. But no, the young man didn't want people to believe because there was evidence. (Evidence? Bah, humbug!) He wanted them to believe because he, the young man, told them to. He was also insanely jealous of the great majority of his fellows who were not impressed by his invisible car, and got around quite well on their own two legs, although a stubborn few persisted in believing that their manuals referred to a real car, with four (or maybe six) wheels, its petrol engine (or deisel), its wings (or lack thereof), depending on which version of the manual you had.

And the moral of this story? Never, ever buy an invisible car, even if it comes with a warranty that lets you get your money back after you're dead.

Noggin

This is an excellent retelling of the Emperor's New Clothes, originally by Hans Christian Anderson.