Edge

A Parable of Dissent

Teju Cole reminds us of the Ionesco play "Rhinoceros," a parable of dissent against totalitarian regimes in Europe. Here in Gotham, we sit at ground zero for the rebirth of America as a totalitarian nightmare. Cole describes the horror of a hate crimes committed in the name of our now President-elect, whose response - "People who are following me are very passionate" - presaged the contagion upon us. He ends his piece with a quote from the play: "I'm not capitulating."