F*** You, Mufasa!

I have a bone to pick with someone, rather something. An animal, specifically an animated African lion with slight anthropomorphic attributes (like talking). This a****** to which I refer is none other than Mufasa, the “lion king” from Disney’s The Lion King. I never understood the evil that this character represented when I was an impressionable 11 year-old, obsessed with animals, and heading into the summer of 1994 – which eventually lead to the 6th grade.

By far, this was probably the most popular Disney animated film of our generation. It didn’t do much for the career of Jonathon Taylor Thomas (or JTT as he was referred to in contemporary teeny-mags), still, it was definitely everyone’s favorite Disney movie.

Where I draw my line with Mufasa, the “just ruler of the Pridelands”, is when he spits out one of the most iconic lines of the movie, “Everything the light touches is our kingdom.” That’s a bit garish, don’t you think? What about the parts of your kingdom where you never even venture? Do you control those places too? How does one maintain rule over areas wherein there is nothing to assert the dominance of one all-encompassing ruler? It is quite a statement to assume claim to everything that you can see, and then some. What an a****** – though I suppose that it is well in line with being a monarch.

To sustain a pride of lions, an ecosystem must have an abundance of prey animals which will obviously serve as food to aid the pride in passing on their genes. If we are to assume that these animals are as sentient as humans, and capable of obeying a ruler (as well as scoffing at the idea of social-structures), then we have to assume that these animal masses might certainly grow tired of absolute monarchy in favor of something new; factor in self-determination and the mitigation of such through literal application of Mufasa’s little creed.

Ostensibly, it is very hard, even in the real world, to suggest that a pride of lions does not have a monopoly on force; therefore this factor of absolute rule is well instated. As lions are apex predators, the next animal in line would be the hyena – and we all know that the hyenas do not f*** with Mufasa. Thus, we have absolute rule and force to ensure that this system will continue – violently if necessary.

As predators, lions are feared among their prey animals which we can also assume compromise the bulk of the constituents of the Pridelands. It wouldn’t make sense to inject more predators than needed into the mix. This would lead to unhealthy competition for the lions, thus total lion hegemony is reached throughout “everything the light touches”. The legitimization of this lion monarchy is based on the force that it can project onto other predators, and also out of the fear that prey animals have of the lions.

Does this sound like an ideal situation? No (well, for non-Republicans at least).

The fact that this absolute lion monarchy exists acts to subvert hopes for a large contingent of any species to self-determination. In fact, as far as we know, the only animals to accomplish this feat were Timon and Pumbaa – essentially nihilists who have broken free of the establishment, and the true heroes of the movie.

The lion’s monarchy must also come with limits to freedom that individual animals have, and this just plain sucks. If you’re in the Pridelands, you are completely subjected to the whims of what, seven or eight lions?

Also, what prevents Mufasa from expanding his territory? If he goes for an exceptionally long walk one day, does everything he see automatically become his kingdom? He already owns swaths of land that would be ridiculous for any real lion, but once you establish premise that everything the light touches is yours, you create a nation with very flexible borders. For an African lion, he certainly has a lot of British and American traits. What about the animals in the lands beyond what he can see? If he happens to stroll ever deeper into the savannah, does his rule now extend over these individuals? What if they were happy where they were? Now they have to submit to his authority, and attend the birth of his son - all fresh from the womb and steaming with lion afterbirth? What a pain in the ass!

Again, self-determination fades.

Also, upon the birth of his son, and the revealing of the little bastard to the inhabitants of the Pridelands, one would assume that the gleam of sunlight that breaks through the clouds is suggestive of some sort of favorable disposition onto this creature from Heaven. That blue-assed, supposed baboon Rafiki, representative of the clergy…and probably hoping to not get eaten, willingly promotes this ruse of divine mandate through some pagan ritual, and the other animals oblige.

When a higher power is perceived to show favor to a ruler, look out! Now this figurehead has the ultimate blank check to do what they want. Lord Acton once said, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” And power would rear its ugly head in the film eventually.

When an absolute ruler dies or is removed from power, things tend to get a little crazy. We can take real world examples of Iraq in 2003 and Iran in 1979 to predict that absolute power that suddenly ceases to exist will create a vacuum of interested parties looking to assume that power in their own manifestations. Enter Scar, the “evil” brother of Mufasa.

Is Scar truly that evil? Indeed he does exploit his position, but he’s simply carrying on a more extreme version of a system that was already there; all power vested into one ruler. Where does one draw the line between absolute monarch and dictator? Is it Scar who makes history, or is it the timing, the place, and the system – all of which are characteristics that are surely bigger than his shitty lion existence. Is this system, void of checks and balances, and purported by Mufasa, responsible? As an absolute ruler, Mufasa could easily implement law that may prevent the takeover of absolute power. He can also abdicate, and thus end the questionable, and extensive rule once and for all. But he doesn’t. He basks in ultimate authority. Perhaps he doesn’t exploit his position, but all of the necessary framework is there.

Such is the curse, and a defining characteristic, of absolute power; the highs can be very high, and the lows can be incredibly low (just look at the Roman Empire).

When Scar usurps Mufasa’s power, the Pridelands are fucking dust! It is certain that it will only be a matter of time before the worst takes place. So, again, f*** you Mufasa for being yet another absolutist prick and not recognizing the inherent certainty that your dreamland can become a shit-hole should power be vested into the wrong hands.

Though, we all know that the supposed “glory” of the Pridelands is restored when Simba wrests the ultimate authority back from his uncle, and that this is the “circle of life”. The whole concept of the “circle of life” is more bullshit. It’s more like a triangle of power with the lions at the very top projecting their will onto weaker creatures.

Who made the lions king anyway? The saying clearly states that lions are the “king of the jungle” – and they don’t even live in the fucking jungle! That’s it, authority denied. Then again, we also have to assume that this population under the rule of lions is uneducated and illiterate (because it would just be ridiculous otherwise, even in a cartoon), and one of the sad truths of any society is that ignorance is easily controlled. An uneducated population of animals subjected to a monopoly of force, and a convincing religious spectacle to boot stands no chance of getting behind the right questions to ask, for instance, “This isn’t the jungle, so why do you think that you’re the king?” “Why does your kingdom consist of ‘everything the light touches’?”

By keeping the system going, Mufasa endangers the livelihood of an ever growing population, in accordance with his motto, by denying them self-determination, and subjecting them to the very real threat of totalitarianism in the event of a coup.

Another issue that I’d like to take up at a later point in time, perhaps over more beer, in an establishment other than my apartment at 2:00 AM, is the origin of Simba’s predetermined wifey, Nala. I don’t recall any other male lions around, other than Scar. Also, through normal lion behavior we can infer that Mufasa gets to have his way with all the lionesses…so, uh…by contemporary American standards (well, in the traditional North, and the West Coast at least) this raises some questions. I digress, that’s for later.