A lot of people at the links I listed treated it as if it were authentic. So it is a common reaction.
I don't mind fables, but I agree they need to be treated as such.
I'm more than a little tired of the "fake but accurate" protestations of the other side.
Although, I read something like this and immediately recognize it as aphoristic, something I think others ought to immediately recognize as general truths, but apparently many need a "tangible" example to grasp the reality.