Paul Krugman writes on THE RHINOCEROS EFFECT I’ve quoted the piece in full (it’s short and sharp) but it’s worth following the link to visit his site. Now read on:

I don’t know how many people have read or seen Eugene Ionesco’s?? Rhinoceros , a parable about conformity and the authoritarian impluse. It tells of a town in which people begin turning, one by one, into rhinoceri – yet few are willing to acknowledge what’s happening. The most memorable scene is one in which the hero’s friend (famously played by Zero Mostel) begins making excuses for his neighbors – maybe it’s not so bad to be a rhinoceros, after all – and, as we watch, turns into a rhinoceros himself.

What reminded me of the play was a visit to my old publication? Slate .? I’ve pretty much restricted my blog reading to? Brad DeLong? and? Josh Marshall? – but I couldn’t help noticing that Zero Mostel had nothing on Mickey Kaus.

Meanwhile, some of us refuse to ignore the rhinoceri running the country.