National Union of Elves
2003-01-22 || 6:03 p.m.

I was sitting in the Guided Reading staff meeting. We were being shown a video. One of those government ones filmed in a 'classroom' but where the surrounding children are spookily quiet suggesting large Calpol overdoses, and the ones being focused on are probably scripted actors.

They were looking at 'The Elves and the Shoemaker'. A boringly innocuous book, so I always thought. Suddenly the teacher asks the children, 'what is your favourite part of the story?' One boy pipes up: the bit where they get more money.

Suddenly I am focusing again. It's a pile of capitalist shite I thought. Fuck. The shoemaker and his wife, bourgesie fallen on hard times. Can't make enough money to support their affluent lifestyle. Where are their children? Probably on a grand tour somewhere doped up on laudanum. So they exploit small people. Make them work for nothing but a new outfit and get fat on the profits.

Bastards!

Certainly fits the genre of 'traditional tale' and how well it depicts merrie olde England.