A Beautiful Dangerous Fox
All his life the fox Howard Brenner had been an exceptionally beautiful, academically-gifted, strong and handsome individual even for a species known for such traits. He was a fox after all, and he honestly felt that his species needed to be allowed to shine brighter than the other species because they had a greater luster. But unfortunately, Mr. Brenner had already learned that the rest of the world did not feel the exact same way.
Many years before he was born, an agency of the government known as the National Center for Species Equality had twisted the arm of the government to impose their version of equality on the world, seeing as how some species were in their words "over-represented" in the fields of academia, athletics, and entertainment and others "under-represented". And so what should have been a great blessing for the fox turned into a childhood living under government-imposed restraint.
To counter the incredible beauty of certain members of society like Mr. Brenner, the Species Equality President had designed black masks which not only kept their beauty from ever showing through but also robbed them of their peripheral vision and made sure the scent of fake leather filled their muzzles from sunup to sundown. And then there were the extra weights that Howard was forced to carry, uneven to one side, to make certain that his large and muscular frame would always look off-center and misshapen. But worst of all were the microchips of loud screeches inserted near the fox's ear which went off about every half-hour and kept from formulating ideas.
And his life went on like this through elementary and middle and high school and then college with all of his peers making fun of him for one thing or another. His mask made him look like an executioner with a very bad limp and his paws grabbing at his head, from another microchip-induced headache that made him wish he was deaf. And he could not remove those things or the agents of NCSE would arrest him. All this to fulfill the Species Equality President's fever dream of "even terms" between the species. But this day was going to be different- Howard Brenner had a plan that was so revolutionary that it would turn the world on its head.
"Welcome back, all those in TV land. We're back from a commercial and we have a great hour of programming ahead from our Huizenga studios. ‘Young Incredibly Fine Friends' will be on in just a few minutes and then an interview with Diane Humberto, the President of NCSE, who is a part of this live studio audience," said the ursine broadcast man. His face, attractive enough for a bear was handsome enough to warrant a pair of ridiculously-large Coke-bottle thick glasses ("to make him look less like an athlete and more like a newscaster") and his jacket was intentionally a little tighter than what his frame would suggest- this was a milder way of making certain that his strength would make him closer to "equality" with the other species. Without his burdens, the bear would have been a strong and athletic individual; instead he was just another person with blatant vision problems wearing a straitjacket which limited his mobility
A few commercials later, (most of them nothing more than NCSE propaganda) and ‘Young Incredibly Fine Friends" came to the air. The cameras began their focus on the stars of the show, Joshua Davidson and Jenna Guyton, two wolves who were known for their acting skills which was something in the society that could not be outlawed. But they could not be considered photogenic, their handsome muzzles were like Howard's buried in leather and their lean swimmer's muscle tone were compromised by large cummerbunds they wore underneath their clothes which made both of the stars look as though they were suffering from overweight. Again, another case of "equality". Today's episode saw the two soap opera characters interacting in front of a typical kitchen in an average suburban house not unlike what many of the citizens owned.
But something seemed a little out of place to the two lupine characters cast perpetually as a just-married husband and wife- it seems as though the door leading to a props closet had been left ajar. This door was right in the way of the cameras and it was bothering Joshua and Jenna as they practiced their blocking and spacing. Inside that door, Mr. Brenner who had snuck into the studio using a ventilation shaft sat nervously and hungrily, having not eaten in days. But nothing was going to stop the vulpine from declaring the injustices of the world. He knew that many people watched "YIFF" and that the NCSE President was in attendance. Humberto would pay in public humiliation for all the wrongs she had done to the exceptional people in this world. He waited for a pause in the action before opening the door.
The crowd was stunned silent and the actors were as well as the door opened and out stepped this misshapen, hunch-backed fox wearing a leather mask. Mrs. Humberto, the alligator was absolutely livid.
"I've got something that is far more important than another daytime drama; it's a message for the National Center of Species Equality." Before anyone could move, the fox used his sharpened claw to cut a hole in the back of his ear and pull out a small piece of silicon- that was the radio that had been giving him headaches since he was a cub. "NCSE, you have done all species a great disservice." He took off his mask right before the security men jumped on stage and having already discarded his weights in the props room, he was able to fight off the guards relatively easily.
"Do you not realize Mrs. Humberto, my entire life has been one burden after another, all because of this?" the fox said, pointing to his handsome face. "I was handsome and strong and smart and you turned those into liabilities. Woe to them that call what is good evil," he said. Already the alligator woman not attractive by any stretch of the imagination as attractiveness was not something found in her species, was reaching for the gun she kept with her the whole time.
"Don't you realize that equality was meant to be a blessing for all the species, Mr. Brenner? If someone was stronger, smarter, and faster than you, you'd feel more than a little upset, wouldn't you? I mean, look at the actors the studio chose. They were chosen for their acting skills and not their looks- before ‘Equality' this would not have happened. Everyone starts out on a level playing field and that's just good policy." Her lizard voice was ugly as though she had a perpetual sore throat. The burden she placed on others seemed completely rational to her because she was one of the ugliest creatures on the planet, though no one would admit it to her face.
"That's not the problem- it is true that they can act but this equality everybody likes so much is just another term for mediocrity. Those who were born to be superior are burdened with weights, and headches, and masks to keep their beauty from ever being expressed. But I'm changing things." Howard Brenner said removing the leather from Jenna Guyton and then ripping the mask off Joshua Davidson as well. "But they were also very handsome and they can do things that others can't."
"Do things that others can't is what we seek to avoid. These concepts represent inequality and that is a very dangerous and unacceptable thing. Everyone must be the same so nobody has their feelings hurt," she said, leaving her feet and rushing onto the stage, her pistol in her hands.
"And there are other things we can do that you'd like to take away from us. Like singing. I want the actors to sing in front of the audience and Mrs. Humberto- just whatever comes to mind. I'll join in," the fox said only to hear that Humberto would shoot down the two actors for joining the fox in singing. With their own bodies shaking rapidly and their hearts pumping overdrive, the two wolves realized that they were about to do would determine between life and death. But for them there was one choice that they could make.
"I feel a song coming on and I'm warning you it's a victorious, happy and glorious new strain," the three sang out in unison. The fox sang a beautiful tenor and Jenna sang out in a perfect soprano, and Joshua balanced their song with a stunning and masculine baritone. But they could not finish that song, for their performance was ended abruptly by gunshots that killed the three of them instantly. Howard Brenner fell near where the stove would be, due to a gunshot wound through the lung and the two wolves died right next to each other, both shot through their heads. And all this murder, including the assassinations of two beloved actors, happened on live TV for everyone to see the injustice of "equality".
With acknowledgement to the genius of Kurt Vonnegut.