Anthropomorphism and Demagoguery: Rhinos in the town and elephants in the room

On symbolizing demagoguery…

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Tom: Remember Ionesco’s Rhinoceros, two guys sitting at a café table, and a rhinoceros runs down the street?

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Dick: Yeah. And then another comes charging along and stomps a dog and people are outraged.

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Tom: But then everyone in the town turns into rhinoceroses.

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Dick: A satire on people following Fascism.

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Tom: I wonder if we could rework the metaphor. Maybe use an elephant.

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Dick: Ah. The elephant in the room?

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Voice-over

Tom Fogler wrote a play called The Elephant in the Room. Borrowing from the past and reworking a metaphor to tell a new story. Fortunately, animals are not litigiously inclined to charge in trumpeting, “Calling me a demagogue? I’ll sue you!”

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