Ethyl Surmises: How things Appear

I love Gilbert and Sullivan.  Their plays make me happy.   But more than that they make me think.   W.S. Gilbert was every bit as much a genius with words as Theodore Geisel.  The main difference is Dr. Seuss aimed his repartee at children..  Gilbert's target was adults.   And lambast them he did.
One of the main themes of his operettas is the fact most things are not as they appear.  In H.M.S. Pinafore he penned the famous lines 'things are seldom as they seem, skim milk masquerades as cream'.  The expression 'it's not over till the fat lady sings', originated because of a Gilbert and Sullivan play.  Gilbert always had one song toward the end of the production in which he had a rather portly older woman sing, so that when she came on stage everyone knew the play was almost over.
So often in a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta there is a total switch of characters at the end.   Those who have assumed the position of high and mighty are revealed to be of lower rank, and so often the ones who were maligned because of their low status are proven to be the real upper crust.   Of course they are only theatrical productions, but it's amazing how often that proves to be the case in real life.
The English were great at class distinctions, and from that fact Gilbert drew much of his satire.  He was a real master at poking fun at the British upper classes.  So much so that one of his plays angered Queen Victoria, and as a result she knighted Sir Arthur Sullivan, who was the librettist, but she refused to bestow the same honor on Gilbert.  He didn't receive that distinction until years after Sullivan, when in actuality he probably deserved it more.
It's amazing to me how many people think money gives them the advantage of being upper crust.  So often they feel so proud of the expensive clothes they buy to cover their outsides when the true measure of their worth is on the inside.  Their time, energy, and effort would be so much better spend improving their personalities instead of trying to impress someone with what they're wearing.  They often times spend money they don't have to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't like.   And the end result is that anyone who would happen to be impressed by such an outward show is just as vain and empty as they are.  So in the end what do they have.  Vain, empty, haughty people impressing other vain, empty haughty people just like themselves.   And I can tell you from personal experience.  That class of people do not make good companions.
There is something truly delightful about a person who is down to earth.  Someone who knows who they are and can accept that without question.  Honesty, integrity, truthfulness are such refreshing qualities to find in people that they are worth taking the time to seek out and draw close to.  And to be loved and respected by the ones in our lives who are the closest to us, who know us the best, is the most important thing in the world.  The rest really do not matter much at all.
Gilbert was born to privilege and received a gentleman's education, but yet he was able to see through fake pretentious individuals.  Some one made the comment about him his pen was his sword, and he definitely had the ability to cut away snobbery and pretentiousness, going right down to the meat of the matter.  A rare insight in today's world.