[a fool in paradise]

Media Schadenfreude and Media Shenanigans PING

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_Little_Tailor

The story is based upon the Grimm fairy tale “The Valiant Little Tailor”, and revolves around a medieval European village, which is being constantly terrorized by an evil giant.

The king and his princess (Minnie Mouse) have been seeking a warrior to kill the giant, but no one is brave enough to step up to the job. In the village, a young peasant tailor (Mickey Mouse) kills seven flies at once while at his work, and accidentally interjects several other peasants’ discussion of the problems with the giant to brag loudly about his accomplishment:

Peasant (to his friends): Say, did you ever kill a giant?
Mickey (interjecting unwittingly): I killed seven (flies) with one blow!

Gossip that Mickey has killed seven giants with one blow quickly spreads around the kingdom. The king summons Mickey, and asks if he really “killed seven at one blow”. Mickey goes into an elaborate re-telling of how he killed the seven (flies, not giants as the king believes), which impresses the king enough to appoint Mickey “Royal High Killer of the Giant”.

Upon learning the misunderstanding, all of Mickey’s confidence disappears and he attempts to stammer his way out of the assignment.

[Political Junkie Too]

Thank you for posting this. I was looking for that reference yesterday, but couldn't remember whether it was an Aesop tale or something else.

-PJ