From the moment it entered our collective cultural consciousness in 1954 with Horton Hears a Who! to the time it was the centerpiece of 2000 smash hit How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and no further adaptions, Whoville has been a world of merriment and joy that graces our screens every Christmas season. However, as we age and become more wise, we begin to unravel the world around us and upon a recent retelling of the Grinch story amongst friends we noticed an odd trend throughout the tale. While on the outside Whoville seems like a wonderful place to live, we discovered when put under a microscope it more so resembles a fascist state. It’s time we talked about it.

And listen, before you start, I know this all takes place in the tiny world of a snowflake, but it matters to me. So help me out and suspend your disbelief with me a little bit here. Ok, now let’s get into it.

First, the Mayor of Whoville, Augustus Maywho. What a pleb this guy. Unfortunately, he has an innate charisma around him that he has used to rise the social ranks of Whoville and install himself as commander and chief of the entire operation. Considering that we only see Whoville around Christmas time, I don’t think it’s a huge jump to believe that these people aren’t eating most of the time. Instead, the mayor and his minions use Christmas as a way to distract the citizens of Whoville and by the time the day arrives, they are in such a frenzy that anything but the most wonderful Christmas will not be tolerated.

Thus, the powers that be in Whoville came up with the Holiday Cheermeister of the Year Award. A convenient way to pit citizens against each other instead of the state in competition to see who can be the most excited about Christmas. But of course, as we all know, the game is rigged. The mayor wins every year and every year he convinces the people of Whoville that they might have a chance next year. And the cycle continues.

Enter the Grinch, the hero of our story (for now). Initially seen as a helpful scapegoat by the government, once the Grinch began to come down to the city and interact with people, they realized how quickly he could become a threat. Although not seen in the film or book adaptions, there are many foiled assassination attempts on both sides. This comes down to a want for power, both from the mayor and the Grinch himself.

You see, the Grinch loves being feared. At first, he left to become an outcast because he didn’t fit in. But soon he realized that he had never truly wanted to in the first place. He wanted to show up and have people gasp, not laugh. He holed himself up, building inventions and brewing up schemes with which to torture the citizens with. Only, after Cindy Lou Who showed up to try and bring the Grinch into the greater who society, he started to realize he could gain power in a different way.

The Grinch then proceeds to create a crisis that only he can solve. He steals Christmas only to give it back to the people, leaving the mayor out in the streets to rot. Leading us to a question we will leave you with. When all is said and done, do you truly believe the Grinch is just going to give up control of his power? Or do you believe that history repeats itself and time is a flat circle?

Think about it.

This article was written by Nathan Ellwood, who is in the Christmas spirit. Get him some marsh-mellows, STAT. Also you can follow him here @NPEllwood.