Rhinoceros | An Antifascist Play

[@leehayes4019]

A rhinoceros just ran through the comments!

[@Shawn.Grenier]

I’m sure there will be a couple! I’m not muting anyone so we can see the rhinos exist. I’m also predicting comments about how “rhinoceros” is a slur and how calling other people rhinos actually makes you a rhino. This is going to be fun

[@suredeydo]

​@@Shawn.GrenierArt is a conversation. If you're deleting comments, that's a very fascist dictator thing to do.

[@giulyanoviniciussanssilva2947]

​@@suredeydoi agree, but some people, only wants the agression through he comments.

[@666bagel]

what color was it??

[@harmonic5107]

​@@suredeydohe literally just said he wasn't🤦‍♀️

[@Petch85]

When people say, “we have made it through worse before” all I hear is the wind slapping against the gravestones of those who did not make it, those who did not survive to see the confetti fall from the sky. - Clint Smith

[@AuntieMamies]

When I hear people say "we survived Trump before" all I can think of is the hundreds of thousands that didn't survive 2020 because of his incompetence

[@MatsubaAgeha]

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind 🎵

[@grmpEqweer]

Thanks for the quote. I looked up the whole poem. Very appropriate.

[@donnamdamico9926]

It's wonderful to see a comment from you. I appreciate your thoughts and your poetic way of expressing them.

[@Sasquatchbones]

@@AuntieMamies1 million Covid deaths

[@001101011010]

I lived through a fascist dictatorship in Brazil. In fact I was raise during those years (I was born in 1960 and the CIA sponsored military dictatorship coup happened in 1964). There were twenty years before the population could vote for a president, governors, senators, and house representatives. The people’s power was diminished to vote for council members and mayors only. A return to the political process before the independence, to the colonial political pattern of pre-1822. The one commonality I see between Brazil and the United States is the process of keeping the masses ignorant, instigating mass delusions and hysteria through banning books, teaching fantasy instead of history, creating myths instead basing news on facts, maintaining the populus ignorant, turning all into rhinoceroses. We lived in metaphors: we spoke of rot, sang about bands and prostitutes, plays about Eden and paradises, saviors and heroes. It influenced my studies and eventually I became an anthropologist focusing on metaphors, theater, and myths. Eventually the dictatorship became unstable with high inflation, an increase in poverty (after those 20 yrs, poverty went from 30% to 80%), unleashed corruption, and strangling censorship, the left began to gain ground. It started with the metal workers union. The metal workers who produced parts for American and European cars (i.e. ford and Volkswagen), who worked for slave wages, who lost all their rights began to strike, and these strikes last months until it began to negatively affect the economy and the production for export. What I see here in the US coming down the pike are the same policies I saw growing up in Brazil. I’ll continue my work on my social justice journey and using theatre as a healing tool. Good luck to us all.

[@gabrielsalesmartins]

Eu tenho pena vc ter vivido a ditadura pra depois ver a galera babando ovo pro Bozonaro que além de ser um grande "mamãe quero ser Mussolini" ficava saudando torturador da ditadura

[@ultraanonimo1461]

Que deus ou qualquer um lá em cima tenha misericordia de deles e de nós

[@headmltr6247]

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. It's not often I get to encounter direct testimonies such as yours. Godspeed, may only warm winds blow your way. I am studying anthropology myself, in California; I'd be very keen to read your work. Good luck against the horde.

[@bloomnights]

I was born in democracy, but my family lived through the CIA sponsored military dictatorship in Chile, and were victimized by it (my maternal family were exiled after the coup in 1973 and only returned in the mid 90s, 5 or 6 years since the end of the dictatorship). I grew up hearing experiences like this, of how democracy collapses, how neighbours turn on each other, families broken still waiting for their loved ones, workers driven into poverty, etc. But so many people never hear it. They have these abstract notions of things that could never happen again. Will never happen again. But it's not true.

[@joanhoffman3702]

❤❤❤

[@glennlavertu3644]

My heart sank when you asked "and does that make you feel isolated?" Yes... yes... so alone. So isolated.

[@darthcreepio]

For real. It was kinda comforting to find about this play which portrayed almost exactly how it’s felt

[@pneumaticpterodactyl4015]

Look at all the people in this comment section who feel the same. I hope you can find one person like this to share your feelings with

[@headmltr6247]

We arent.

[@TheManicMillennial]

You’re not alone my friend as much as it feels like it. As someone with all three of my parents (mom, stepdad, and dad) and a few friends who are trumpers I can tell certainly tell you that it feels awful but all we can do is try and find people who make us feel less alone in this world. We need to actively work to seek out community and build it up strong to stand up to what’s to come.

[@MatthewTheWanderer]

Me too! I feel isolated because almost everyone in my family is a Trump supporter and so are the large majority of people in my state. I don't have any friends in real life or online. I'm very lonely and isolated.

[@piccalillipit9211]

*I DONT FIGHT FASCISTS BECAUSE I THINK IM GOING TO WIN* I fight fascists because they are fascists! Chris Hedges

[@whatabouttheearth]

Not really an Ulrike Meinhof is he? We'll see what he does if the going gets tough

[@whatabouttheearth]

Not really an Ulrike Meinhof is he? We'll see what he does if the going gets tough

[@mossydog2385]

"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That in it's essence is fascism: ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power." ----- Franklin D Roosevelt

[@SolidSiren]

We are there.

[@lloydsaul997]

​@@SolidSirenthere's still time. Easier to stop before they take power.

[@qwertyuiopaaaaaaa7]

If anyone else is scrolling through the comments, I just want to encourage you to unionize. When people say “build community” as a response to right wing authoritarianism, a labor or tenant union are really concrete ways of doing that. I started unionizing my workplace about a year ago and it’s going great. Me and 4 friends started with absolutely no experience and now we have dozens of organizers and well over 100 supporters. It’s hard work, but it’s not that hard, and there’s a lot of parent unions who can help teach you the way. Start by googling parent unions who represent your industry. Solidarity, my friends. We can build our own democracies.

[@romanempire8370]

You do know that it was the NSDAP that introduced the 40 hour Work Week in Europe? If you want better Workers Rights, look to Fascism.

[@katyungodly]

It's crazy to see the Christians I grew up with rejecting all of Jesus' teachings to embrace capitalism and fascism. Propaganda is a helluva thing.

[@romanempire8370]

Fascists build more Churches than socialists did.

[@ttrestle]

My mother is a Christian fundamentalist and now in the fascist MAGA cult. She considers Trump as her dear leader. We stopped talking during COVID because she started believing in and pushing conspiracy theories and became irate that I wouldn’t believe and wanted evidence that was credible. She also became extremely racist and xenophobic all while telling me I was possessed by demons and going to burn in hell because I’m a college educated liberal atheist. It broke my heart to have to cut her off but she wouldn’t stop. My wife and her parents are liberal college professors and atheists. I don’t know if I could have made it through this period without them. Of course my mother is furious and jealous as claims she wants a relationship with me. I’m like, okay maybe stop telling my your cult leader in the sky wants to torture me forever and stop telling me your cult leader in the world is actually a kind person who wants to improve our country by giving tax breaks to billionaires and caging and deporting the people we pay peanuts to pick our produce.

[@romanempire8370]

@@ttrestle Your mother is right.

[@BBB-to4cc]

I was on Instagram today and in the comments on one post i saw ppl saying “how can you be Christian and a democrat?!” And the hours later a different post had comments saying “I don’t understand how Christian’s can be republican”. Sucks how much we are split

[@VeraBrightfeather]

​@@romanempire8370nah.

[@kkmate1012]

One thing that helps me whenever I feel particularly hopeless is imagining a future documentary about today. We always view fascism and authoritarian regimes through this historical lens (which is partially why people can be so slow to fight against it at first). It’s easy to view it that way-as something that we’ve already triumphed against. Because it doesn’t take much of a stretch of the imagination (unlike imagining a future free from exploitation and injustice), I find it to be comforting to imagine what a future documentary about our struggles and victory looks like to those who get to enjoy the freedoms we fought so hard to preserve for them. These documentaries always make victory seem inevitable, like history just HAD to turn out that way. That can be quite comforting when you’re in the middle of the struggle and are really doubting if you’ll make it out the other side alright. We fight the despots of this world so that our children can live in a safe world, and they never doubted that we’d win-so why should we?

[@PjKneisel]

I mean…that’s hindsight is 20/20 in a nutshell. Whether we win or not, many people will lose. Their lives, their homes, their jobs etc. I understand trying to keep one’s head up, but let’s not descend too far into toxic positivity and act like it’s inevitable. That could lead to complacency and apathy, which I think is a part of why Trumpism is even a thing.

[@anthead7405]

@@PjKneisel I don't really think that's the reason for Trumpism. People don't vote for him, because he's gonna lose inevitably anyways. But it's inevitable that People in one century from now will look back and say how pathetic ppl's choises were. How damaging capitalist Ideology have been to most of the people rooting and fighting for it etc.

[@headmltr6247]

thank you

[@SolidSiren]

While I understand your hope that we will get through this...History does not always repeat, and yes, Americans will remain living...but our country may not.

[@SolidSiren]

​@@PjKneiselEXACTLY

[@The_Promethean]

I can’t recall from where I heard it, but on the topic of hope: Hope isn’t something you wish for. Hope isn’t something out there. Not something ephemeral and delicate and fleeting. No, hope is… She is a steely eyed woman. Her mouth full of grit and blood, she spits as she stands back up. Clenching her scarred fists she wipes the snot and blood from her face and gets ready to get knocked back down. And stand up. Again. You might feel crazy. You might feel weak. You might feel alone. And hell, two of those might be true. But you are not alone. This last week common decency and humanism got dealt a hell of a blow. Spit the blood out, and stand back up. Because you are Hope.

[@CrescentUmbreon]

I like that description of hope. I also like that poem by Emily Dickinson if you like something a little sweeter. "Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops -- at all. And sweetest in the Gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm. I've heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest Sea; Yet -- never -- in Extremity, It asked a crumb of me." In this, hope is depicted in a more fragile ghostly form, but my favorite takeaway is that "it never stops", and that it abides despite the harshest conditions.

[@justkiddin84]

Thank you both.

[@jlc6701]

Beautiful. Something's in my eyes, gotta go...

[@thisrandomdude2880]

If I may add to your comment. Syrian playwright Saadallah Wannous once said: "We are condemned to hope, and what happens today cannot be the end of history".

[@jessicakaushansky3659]

It is the poem Hope Is Not A Bird, Emily, It Is a Sewer Rat by Caitlin Seida

[@lauren1779]

“If we aren’t surrounded by evil people, then we don’t have to worry about fascism! ..right??” OO that got me. It’s so painful to see people I love and care about turn this way. We must always come from a place of love and compassion for all. Never give up kindness 💖

[@zanewalsh1812]

And if kindness doesn't work, then what? Serious question because I've lost loved ones as well 😭❤️‍🩹

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

Evil itself is something one BECOMES

[@thecitizen49]

I suggest a book By Gerald Horne, "The Counter Revolution of 1836: Texas Slavery & Jim Crow and the Roots of US Fascism". This is an excellent story about the Texas Revolution of 1836 and the mythology of that story. I was born in Alabama in 1949 and raised in Texas. The United States was built on the cadavers of the dead native Americans and the slaves kidnapped from Africa, brought to America and worked to death. It is the great taboo to speak truth about the real history of the US.

[@Greenplanet949]

People say “It will be fine.” I remember an elderly German 35 years ago, when I lived there telling me “At the end of it (WWII in Berlin) there we were, the formerly rich and poor alike, in rags, starving, standing in the ruins of our once beautiful cities.”

[@azaraniichan]

ORGANIZE !!!!! Join associations to help your community, join a political group, find what you can do at the local level !!

[@JorgeLopez-qj8pu]

Don't fall for that "Local" nonsense. Plenty of Kings let their peasant protest; "they get angry shout a little bit and go home tired and exhausted to never do it again" Because at the end of the day, the King knows he can physically squash them, but why exhaust the effort, when they'll get back to work either-way.

[@randalalansmith9883]

@@JorgeLopez-qj8pu I attended a lot of "Nice People" protests in the 1980s and 90s. I gave up when we had 10,000 people showing up to protest *the first* Iraq war-but the media focused on the 20 flag-wavers across the street. And so that's when I learned why "Flower Power" of the 1960s gave way to underground groups resorting to tourism to get media attention. But in this current chapter, there will no longer be "Nice People" protests. Our betters will always cite any form of resistance as proof that "We're being invaded by socialists!", and they'll manufacture consent for tear gas against Grannies For Peace, and Franciscan Monks.

[@1-eye-willy]

you cant fight fascism from the inside. you organize, resist, or fight a fascist regime you will be dealt with. i dont think yall understand what a fascist regime is, all you can do is leave the country or conform long enough to survive the regime.

[@azaraniichan]

@@JorgeLopez-qj8pu What idea would you have for a strategy to generate social change and defend against fascism ? If you just look at the US for example, even though the republican party has been leading the country on a federal level, there's a lot of push back within each state and people have been able to secure better things for the time being. You can't create social change if you don't form networks of people who can cooperate further, that's why unions were also very important in a lot of past revolutions.

[@JorgeLopez-qj8pu]

@@azaraniichan I thought I make my point clear; Big government matter's as they install Legislature/Legislator that overrules any local law that you would intact. I never said dont try QUITE THE OPPOSITE do join a political group, do go out and make change. People dont like this truth: Change comes from top down NOT bottom up, as when you start from the bottom and work your way up they overrule it as soon as it get to the top. Example: THE SUPREME COURT "generate social change and defend against fascism" That's entire topic onto itself, ask a professional to recommend you a book, not some guy and I dont recommend having that conversation in a KZbin comment sections. They have entire form post groups, scholars and Doctors just for those two thing alone.

[@ExtremelyTriggered-tl4nv]

It’s hard to even communicate how hard this video connected, like it’s genuinely scary how much all of this lines up exactly with my experiences. It is both comforting and depressing to know that last time people felt just as we do now.

[@salsadeheno0905]

my sister, the girl i grew up with, a woman who raised me when my mom couldn't, turned into a rhinoceros.

[@jeanneratterman4174]

I am so sorry

[@EdwardM-t8p]

I'm so sorry 😔

[@RealBradMiller]

Yup. Just wrote a disconnected text to a lifelong friend telling them I appreciated their friendship and help through the years, to look into Project 2025, this play, and the SIFT method, and then I wished them well, and hope they get everything they voted for. Then I deleted then from my contact list. 😮‍💨🙃

[@apollofell3925]

Rhinos chased me put of my home, and the people who watched it happen like to call me hysterical when I hear them thundering past my door. My mother doesn't like how much the rhinos upset me, not that she likes them either, but she's banked everything on the chance they won't knock our new house down...

[@rileyabarker]

This video wins the award for most mentions of the word "rhinoceros" on KZbin, without a doubt.

[@LutherE.Bolkart]

Wow, the rhinoceros complaining to the human character that he is intolerant towards their rhino appearance (views) is the same as how real life rhino's mock and gaslight you for even questioning their ethics or morals. The play, if created today, would be a lot more patronizing and contain a lot more thought terminating cliches like "Oh you're so offended," "Oh are you crying, are you triggered"

[@RealBradMiller]

Yup.

[@umicaddd]

It's the concept of appeasement right, if we appease evil and let it foster and come up with excuses for it, it takes that little inch you gave and takes the whole fucking mile.

[@umicaddd]

If push comes to shove you need to remember what our founding fathers said to do and take back democracy and freedom through force just as they did, revolution is scary but absolutely necessary in these kinds of times.

[@justkiddin84]

@@umicadddI wish I could like this comment 5,000 times

[@RealBradMiller]

That's my mother in a nutshell.

[@piccalillipit9211]

*MY MOTIVATIONAL COMMENT* IN 2015 I suffered brain damage in a mugging and lost everything - I tried to unalive myself and failed and it really hurt. I kept going for no reason other than - what else was there to do? I had no option but to get through each day as it came. I moved into a motel and the cleaners helped me. Then into an empty apartment and I enjoyed the empty space and calm. 9 years later Im through it and Im happy on a beach in Bulgaria. YOU will get through - 1 day at a time

[@TheManicMillennial]

My parents are rhinoceroses and it scares the crap out of me. Even some of my friends have fallen for it. I feel so isolated lately and feel like I’m the only sane one which just drives me insane. I am left hysterical as all the people around me calmly normalize the dehumanization of everything from Arabs to anyone who would oppose Trump and his Fascist movement. Thank you for making this video at least makes me feel a little less alone. I honestly believe it is incumbent upon us all to create a new political movement that is unified and is as unified as trumpers. And it can’t be the democrats who will slow roll an acceptance of these beliefs for pure political reasons. Now they will avoid calling him a fascist because they will be scared of the backlash. I genuinely fear for the long term future of this country.

[@syzygy808]

This is THE most important video on KZbin right now. This is the big picture.

[@Shawn.Grenier]

Those are strong words!! Thank you so much!

[@dustyfeller]

8:38 🔑 “Rhinoceroses speak a totally different language.” Once we grasp this fact, we realize this is about using another language. There are tens of thousands of programmers here and abroad who are not rhinoceroses.

[@gregorsamsa7389]

Thanks from the Netherlands for this video, we can’t give up.

[@KarlSnarks]

The reaction of the media and politicians to the Maccabi riots made me feel so much like the powerful were convincing us to be rhinos, fortunately social media reminded me I wasn't the crazy one.

[@pameiuioigoutu]

Reminds me of a quote by Hannah Arendt about moral responsability: the people who opposed nazism when everyone around them had embraced or normalized it, didn't refuse to be part of that collective delirium just because of a moral dogma, but because "they could't live with themselves if they do", because no matter how the rethoric of good and evil can be twisted to justify the horrors of nazism, they weren't able to live with a murderer (themselves)

[@00PlPu00]

Waiting for comments from smart-asses challenging the definition(s) of fascism... They always make me think of this play and how the discussions are part of the fascist m.o.

[@winterbliss4459]

i wish more youtubers would have the balls to just channel hide these debate perverts

[@bgregz]

You know, as a Romanian, I'm somewhat self-hating, but every now and then a good Romanian comes around. Good stuff from Ionescu

[@00PlPu00]

I don't think fascists do not believe in climate change. I think most do and do not care. Many even weaponize it to their "cause" - i.e. ecofascists. We need to start organizing from the bottom. We need to help each other. Mutual aid can go a long way to improve people's lives and to galvanize political movements. Reach out to your local anarchists and start mutual aid!!

[@headmltr6247]

I will not turn into a rhinoceros. I think part of the reason the Israel thing is so hard for me is that I came to a very abrupt realization that any of my loved ones could succumb to rhinoceritis at any time; that there was no genetically inherited immunity to it, that it can only be warded off through constant vigilance, always always always always watching reading looking seeing working. Working working working. It made me realize that if I stop working for any amount of time I could succumb exactly the same as anyone else. It is hard not to be exhausted, as you said. But we are not capable of undergoing that transformation.

[@angelmossucco]

11:05 yes it’s gaslighting. When people are being scapegoated and their lives are being destroyed in order to enrich others, and we are told that that is OK and merely a different point of view about life, that is gaslighting. Different points of view regard policy, they do not regard the removal of rights from people due to innate characteristics. Ethical liberty means liberty that does not infringe upon the liberty of others. When we call out infringement upon others’ liberty OR LIVES and are told to be tolerant of differences, we are being gaslit.

[@a.m.7438]

Debate doesn't work, they don't care about logic. They speak a different language Love this statement. Best video on fasvism.

[@danielcross2568]

A lot of people right now are talking about the importance of sticking together and continuing to fight against fascism etc, but most of the time this is used as an empty encouragement without any concrete action. BUT there absolutely are concrete things you (YOU) can do right now to resist. before anything else, BUILD COMMUNITY. What does that look like? - look out for your trans, queer, racialized, disabled, unhoused, otherwise marginalized friends & neighbours- we need to form strong networks of support - work together with others to do mutual aid/direct action. For example, start a community meal / info & resources distro (it's not as hard as you'd think) - be ready to materially support your friends & community- figure out what skills and resources you have access to that you can freely share (money, car rides, emotional support, food/cooking, books, etc) BUILD COMMUNITY, BUILD CARE, BUILD JOY. TAKE ACTION!

[@qwertyuiopaaaaaaa7]

One of the most concrete ways to build community is to unionize. Look up parent unions who represent your industry. Send them an email and ask for advice.

[@winterbliss4459]

@@johnnysilverhand1733 soyjak pfp detected opinion disregarded

[@methylenegrey]

It has been so weird to suddenly realize I am living through a period of history that the future will likely think of as fascism in the US. This play enunciates my experience so well. Since even 2016 I'd see trucks driving around belching black smoke with trump flags and bumper stickers on the back, and I'd hear about trump blaming various groups of people for America's problems, and in the back of my mind I wondered if it was fascism but I was gaslit into thinking that was an extreme and disrespectful opinion to have, or just an insult the left throws at the right. There was so much anti-Nazi propaganda in WW2 era US and it was so effective that it is basically still in effect. We've been taught to think of Hitler as the worst person ever to walk the earth, evil incarnate, despite how many historical figures have cause more harm than he has. We've been led to believe that every participant in the German Socialist Party was irredeemably evil, and basically as bad as Hitler. So when I would hear people say 'trump is literally Hitler', I would write it off as an extreme political take instead of a historical analysis. It makes so much more sense when you compare trump to Hitler in 1930s Germany. They say if you forget history you are doomed to repeat it. We remember the Nazis. This whole situation has made it clear to me that if you propagandize history you are also doomed to repeat it.

[@EDuarteVillanueva]

I feel like an important aspect to the fascism as a virus comparison is that, rather than a natural disaster, it's instead a man-made biological weapon. It's not something that just exists in the wild that just happened to cause a plague, it's something that was created to serve a terrible purpose. And I think it's a relevant distinction. Because fascist love to parrot how their awful bullshit is "human nature". They deeply want it to be the case. But it is not. And if we do understand that, we can understand who made it. Who keeps propping it up to defend their power at the expense of everything else. And, ultimately, what can be (and has been) done to counter it.

[@borealmarinda4337]

Ionesco has a second play about fascism, The Leader. It's much shorter, though I see it make a similar point. The difference is that it highlights the cult of personality, and how that leads to the loss of self.

[@PlotistLOL]

God damn man. The intro is chilling

[@seivadmj]

I recommend Alberto Toscano’s recent book, Late Fascism. One of his interesting moves is to look to anti-fascist and anti-colonial figures from the WWII era for his theory of fascism - in other words, what is fascism when seen from the perspective of resistance to fascism?

[@robinholland1136]

I had the privilege, when I was in my final year of my degree in French (1973/74), of performing a scene from La Cantatrice Chauve with some fellow students, in front of the playwright himself. He was on a visiting fellowship to the constituent colleges of the University of Wales. As students in the French department, we had spent the previous year teaching English in schools in France and were in the home straight before graduating. As part of our studies of 20th Century literature, Ionesco figured prominently, along with his contemporaries - Sartre, De Beauvoir, Camus etc. and meeting him was an opportunity not to be missed. For those familiar (or unfamiliar) with Scene XI of the play, the dialogue is challenging at the best of times, and even more so for we students who were neither actors nor native French speakers. Especially as the dialogue descends (or is elevated?) into a seemingly absurd jumble of incoherent sound, with little logical connection between the speakers' utterances, other than the sounds the words make. Well, we did our best and Monsieur Ionesco listened and applauded when we had finished. I remember to this day, two or three lines that stuck firmly in my mind, 'On ne fait pas briller ses lunettes avec du cirage noir', 'Kakatoès, kakatoès, kakatoès, kakatoès, kakatoès, kakatoès, kakatoès, kakatoès, kakatoès, kakatoès.' and 'J'aime mieux pondre un œuf que voler un bœuf.' Following our performance, Ionesco took questions and was happy to discuss his work. He was quietly spoken and came across as rather timid, but was generous in his answers. Our lecturer, who taught 20thC Literature had often told us that Ionesco had been influenced by the poetry of Beaudelaire and, he asked, 'To what extent has your work been influenced by Baudelaire?' The great man pondered for a time and replied, 'I would say, rather, that the question should be, 'to what extent has Baudelaire been influenced by my work?' That was either very profound or he was being rather mischievous. In the evening a select few students and members of faculty had a dinner in his honour. I remember him entering the room, turning to his wife and saying 'Mais, c'est tout pour moi ça?' As an aside, his wife had discreetly asked us not to offer him drinks and kept a very close eye on him during the evening. That's my little anecdote. To say that his plays have relevance for today is not an idle claim. They may not be fashionable, but they are important and full of insights into the human condition.

[@TayTay-x8h]

Watched this play two years ago at a theatre festival with the theme of criticizing power systems. I didn’t understand it at first (probably because I was a naive 16 year old) but this video helped me finally understand how important it was.

[@oldhab7890]

If you were at a festival with that theme you are far from naïve. I belong to a generation who believed it was cool to tear apart and ridicule all social structures leaving nothing in their place. I am so sorry your generation has to suffer for it. (I also apologize for screwing up the environment - we did know what we were doing.)

[@sasentaiko]

I also first heard of this play (and performed a scene from it!) in high school. I never got around to reading the whole thing even though I adored act I, and I never understood the analogy until seeing this video. I think it’s really interesting that young people are, across generations, being exposed to the play, but adults aren’t in the moment adequately providing context or explaining what we might miss.

[@walterroux291]

Reminds me of the movie "sorry to bother you". An anti-capitalist version of this story.

[@walterroux291]

Oh and "The Lobster".

[@zorphorias1523]

You mention that the metaphor is obvious, but I could totally see a right-winger going in without context and associating the rhinoceros with "woke ideology" or something. They tend to make similar claims of "ridiculous thing becoming accepted", and much more on-the-nose antifascist art has been similarly misinterpreted.

[@snomcultist189]

“They are evil and their ideology will destroy us, they are spreading more and more. we need to stop them!” - far direction

[@catdorion]

Je te feel. Je nous feel. Ralentir, moins travailler, renouer avec les autres dans la vraie vie, retrouver des rythmes communs en dehors des écrans, tisser la solidité de nos liens, qui sont notre seul rempart :(

[@brucebarber4104]

Thank you. Our high school French teacher had us read this. While she may have mentioned it, I don't recall her referencing fascism in regard to Ionesco's play, only conformity and absurdism.

[@DeathAlchemist]

Apparently, this play also caused the term rhinocerization to become a term when it played in Israel as a away to describe ppl getting caught up nationalistic fervour.

[@ttrestle]

My mother is a Christian fundamentalist and now in the fascist MAGA cult. She considers Trump as her dear leader. We stopped talking during COVID because she started believing in and pushing conspiracy theories and became irate that I wouldn’t believe and wanted evidence that was credible. She also became extremely racist and xenophobic all while telling me I was possessed by demons and going to burn in hell because I’m a college educated liberal atheist. It broke my heart to have to cut her off but she wouldn’t stop. My wife and her parents are liberal college professors and atheists. I don’t know if I could have made it through this period without them. Of course my mother is furious and jealous as claims she wants a relationship with me. I’m like, okay maybe stop telling my your cult leader in the sky wants to torture me forever and stop telling me your cult leader in the world is actually a kind person who wants to improve our country by giving tax breaks to billionaires and caging and deporting the people we pay peanuts to pick our produce.

[@jakobc.2558]

Ever since I read 1984 I have been terrified of such a fascist totalitarian society becoming a reality and at the same time I have been witnessing it develop in front of my very eyes. It doesn't help that the book is not mandatory over here in germany so literally not a single person knows what I am refering to what I try to explain my concerns. I am exhausted, I feel like I am loosing my mind but at the same time I also know that I am unshakably right in my belifes. This week my econ teacher, a solid social democrat, was discussing news with our class and out of nowhere started implicitly advocating to starve/shoot migrants at the polish border, I suspect his opinion has been shifted by the fact that anti imigrant policys are universaly popular in every political party except for die Linke. We are headed towards dark times, yet somehow I am unable to act on that knowledge. I go about my life as if everything was normal, as if nothing would change. I can not look away but I also can not accept.

[@polygondeath2361]

Please, if you haven’t already, confront him about those comments. It is possible to save your teacher from the perils of fascism, and doing so will make a great impact. I urge you.

[@jakobc.2558]

@QuietlyHere666 who told you this? It is flatout wrong. Orwell was against fascism and what he called "nationalism" which today we would call as "tribalism" or "dogma". He was against especialy harmfull displays of the latter in religion, nazi germany, franco's spain (which is why he went there to shoot fascists) and the USSR and he was openly in favour of using government authority to crush it. Do you denie that supporters of the USSR would and still will excuse the inexcusable simply because it was comitted by their daddy country? Be it the mass killing of anarchists in spain and the thereby resulting victory of franco, the collaboration with nazi germany on development of weapons (bypassing the versailes treaty) and the invasion of poland, the invasion of finnland, sending queer people to the gulags, the holodomor and so much more?

[@thedistinguished5255]

6:47 thats true! ultimately there are fascists in every group, even people for whom it makes no sense to be fascist like black people and latinos. trans men can be fascist. traditional women are often fascist. of course straight white cis men become fascists the most often, but very much by choice as well, when at the cost of caring about people a bit more, they could be at peace with everyone and not be hateful fascists (side note: im using the phrase hateful fascist to highlight what is wrong with being fascist, but im aware that it sounds as obvious as saying pink flamingo. i just dont want anyone to think i hate fascists for the label, i hate them because of their ideology; because they hate innocent people)

[@lorenzodicapo6305]

Funny, because there's no racial component in the definition of fascism. As a straight, cis, white male, I'll need a citation for your claim that I am more likely to become a fascist than any of the other groups you mentioned. Also, I'll need to know why I'm more likely to do it 'very much by choice as well'. Please let me know how I think, as you seem to have all the 'facts'. Also, why does it make less sense for any one racial group to be fascist? But to you, apparently, it makes more sense for a trans person. Why? Honestly, it just looks like you made a list of the kind of people you don't like, and decided that they are more likely fascist. I think that says more about you than them, (one of those things being that you're lazy). You've provided no context, no facts, no backup, and frankly, this comes off as racist, sexist, and a bunch of other things I'm sure you didn't intend. Care to try again?

[@kat_the_vat]

​@@lorenzodicapo6305 not sure if youre serious but i'll try to give some explanation to help you understand why she said that you, as a straight cis white male in america, is more likely to be interested in fascism So first; what is fascism ? the definition for fascism on merriam-webster says: Fascism : a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition So basically, a political ideology or regime that praises nation and (often) race instead of specific individuals And that ideology ^ is associated with a centralized power (aka federal power) by one man with total "final say" power, and it is characterized by economic regimentation (heavy class structure; think "super rich" vs "middle class" vs "almost homeless or already homeless" and people kind of get stuck in those categories (eg super rich get bailouts, middle class get pushed through a national pipeline (like certain school paths) and everyone else gets pushed to the factory or prison worker pipeline (i included criminals as the "working the prison" part bc of prisoner unpaid labor, also they have to pay to be in prison etc)) and racial regimentation (think of the way that the conversation around immigrants happens in the US, everyone thinks of brown people from the global south instead of wealthy Asian people or wealthy white European immigrants like swedes and that also influences the way they discuss it) and by forcible suppression of opposition (think silencing political enemies, suppressing news // info, suppressing journalists and academics, imprisoning people, etc) Why are YOU as a SCWM in America more likely to be fascist? In america, the "national standard" or ideal (especially under the incoming administration, which is using the "get us back to our american roots" propaganda schema) is to be a "regular white person" (aka youre not gay or trans, and youre not non-white) "who participates in society well" (aka youre not a political activist, you're not anti-capitalist, you're not outspoken against the "way things are done") "with extra bonus points if you're a man, because you're the ones with real brains and real brawn" (aka you're not a woman, bc then you technically are ranked lower than your husband bc you need to be a good wife and listen, or disabled because disabled people are seen as worse) So with all of that, what kind of person could you be where you face the LEAST amount of resistance from the government? Because think of it like this: If the government or people controlled // owned by the government treats you very poorly, you're going to become outspoken against it. I know that many on the American political right like to kind of ignore this, but part of the big reason so many activists are queer (trans or gay) and/or not white (black people mostly, but also other people) is because of things they've experienced. If you go to the store and you start getting harassed by some jerk bc he thinks you deserve to go to h*ll and die of degeneration, then you're probably gonna be a little noisy to your government about "hey i think you need to protect me against this thing, YOU are enabling a bad thing by not stopping it" (thats the idea they use at least) So who is LEAST likely to face opposition in their everyday life ? Those who fit the national standard best, aka those who are visibly recognizable as straight men, white, fully abled, and the only ACTION they have to undertake is to not become outwardly outspoken against the "way things are" tldr; the original comment in this thread is being non-descriptive by not specifying IN THE AMERICAN CONTEXT; You were disillusioned with the idea of people who follow the national standard being most likely to go along with the people who encourage the national standard. I attempted to bridge the gap between your knowledge of politics and social interaction and the reason that straight cis white males in america are most likely to be easily absorbed into a political ideology such as fascism

[@rimut230]

​@@lorenzodicapo6305 go outside

[@justkiddin84]

@@lorenzodicapo6305🦏

[@thedistinguished5255]

@@lorenzodicapo6305 the first time i saw your reply i thought i wasnt gonna say anything, but now i got another notification and today im feeling up for it.. i guess. keep in mind its 4 am for me ans this reply might not be super cohesive people whom it benefits are more likely to become fascist because they gain more. i think for fascist ideology to be convincing, you have to be able to make convincing false claims that you deserve control because youre already powerful, and thus skillful. This doesn't have to be the case, you can be in power and not skilled at altruism, not crafty or wise. When youre slightly powerful by chance or con, you can convince people to give you more power and then lie about your skill even more. and then you dont deliver on your competence (ability to help people who lend you their power). its not exclusive to fascism but a necessary element to how fascist leaders are born. within europe and north america (which is the framework im working with because we are talking in english) white people already happen to be more powerful/in power, and have a history of doing this trick (believe it or not many fascist followers see it as a positive trait when someone is able to con people easily) and fit a certain image that is associated with being followed here so essentially the way i see it, its empty promises snowballing into power, and overconfident judgement of other people, because youre right about everything you think you have the right to decide who is good and bad

[@darthcreepio]

Thank you for posting this video at this point in time. I searched “anti-fascist” and your video came up and I had to watch the play. I found a high school performance from 2016 and just finished it. it’s honestly comforting, in a way, to see portrayed the emotions and bewilderment I’ve had this past week (and last 8 years to be honest)

[@Shawn.Grenier]

Everything about that comment touches me! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@maciejjurowczyk292]

I found comfort in your video. Thank you for reminding me (us) that we are not alone.

[@Brian-ti6tt]

I wonder if the metaphor of the rhinoceros would hit differently, presented right now. It feels like even fifty years ago, more people would think of a rhinoceros as nothing but a rampaging monster, whereas now we think of rhinos as pathetic, gentle, endangered victims. Nowadays, serious researchers really are trying to understand the languages and consciousness of non-human creatures, so the call to "understand" them would feel much less absurd. Add all that to a western world still stewing in a century of anti-leftist propaganda, and I just have this weird feeling that people would watch this play now and "both sides" it, more likely to see the Rhinoceros as a metaphor for ANY "loud" or "disruptive" thing that suddenly arrived in a town (including a loud street protest AGAINST fascism).

[@therightfulobstacle8297]

You have got me into plays. Damn you.

[@blicky_bobby]

That melt down towards the end was chefs kiss

[@hogweed1975]

Thanks. I don't know if it's comforting, but I don't really know if I wanted to be comforted anyhow. What I find most useful right now is to try and accept where we are. That's not easy, because it is very scary. This video helps. Perhaps not by comforting, but by looking at the scariness and doing it in a way that kind of feels like 'together'. Also, in a way that is just very very clear. I find I am most afraid of stuff I am too scared to even look at, so helping me look at this thing eases my anxiety.

[@onetrue5xbeter941]

I had to do a theatre report on this play in high school, it has deeply affected the way I see and interact with the world, hopefully in a good way.

[@paulferrell6198]

I am very isolated just waiting for January 20th. I’m old now. I never thought this would happen I’ll make one last effort then die. I hope young people can fight this and win.

[@h.schuylerhalsey5702]

Great video. There is a long and beautiful history of anti-fascist/pro labor art. Waiting for Lefty is a good pro organizing/pro union play (for example). So what do we do? As others here have said, organize in person. Share information/literature. Make art. Protest. Organize civil disobedience. But none of this is possible or effective without community. It is only when we work, live, eat etc… together that we can afford to engage in these acts. UAW led general strike May 1st 2028!

[@justkiddin84]

Leave your phone at home before going.

[@John-e6s8j]

My thoughts on finding comfort: I'm trying to lean into the discomfort, giving up things that have previously given me comfort that may soon be taken away. Modern life is full of comfort and distraction, and the fear of losing these things can turn one into a rhinoceros. "He who clings to his life shall lose it, and he who gives it up shall find it." I'm returning to the subversive teachings of my master, JC. The AC (rhinoceros virus) and the world he brings forth will have the power to destroy me, but he can't make me worship him. Live to defy the rhinoceros. Take joy in subverting Babylon.

[@SwissIrishAmerican]

I absolutely hate that my family members don't seem as bothered by fascist ideas as I am. It occupies my mind set some point every day. One point I disagree with you on is the inability to give up. This removes choice from the equation and implies that those who have accepted fascism are simply worse than those of us who haven't. They have made choices that I strongly dislike, but that doesn't necessarily mean they like them either. Falling to fascist ideologies is usually driven by emotional reactions, not logical ones. I continue to choose to resist fascism. Don't give up on people choosing to abandon fascism.

[@jeanneratterman4174]

Barbar had rhinoceros as “the heavies” - influenced? Is there more to that children’s book? I have always felt it was not just for kids.

[@oscarguzman3017]

Complimentary engagement

[@jeremybristol4374]

Thank you for sharing your perspective and your knowledge. It's helpful to be reminded like this of the perspectives of individuals like us who have faced this before. While it may not yield hope, it's a reminder that retaining one's humanity is not crazy.

[@sasentaiko]

Thanks for explaining the context and metaphors underlying the play. In high school, I remember performing the opening scene (in the original French) and having tons of fun-but we didn’t read or analyze enough of it to get the point at all. If you’re wondering whether I was educated by rhinoceroses, well, I grew up in Florida. So they were mostly rhinoceros apologists and appeasers at least. I wonder how many of them must be full rhinoceroses now.

[@popejaimie]

I frickin love Ionesco, excited to watch before it ever started If anyone wants to watch it, there's a film adaptation on KZbin, that's where I saw it. Gene Wilder stars!

[@bubbercakes528]

Actually the Rhino is a calm and peaceful animal. The hippo is the deceptively dangerous one.

[@micheleleech8128]

When I look back to the German occupation of France (I am French) and the horrors which were perpetrated by the Nazis (I was shocked to find out that my primary school had been used by the Gestapo as a torture chamber), I am grateful that some of my countrymen went underground and started the Resistance. I recognise that they gave their lives to safeguard my freedom, so I strongly feel that I need to honour them by denouncing fascism under all its guises.

[@matewue]

I have recently started to write anti-fascist video essays for a Czech audience. I think that spreading this message is especially important in a country so liable to fascism as is our little republic (and it’s sad that the US failed to teach and protect against fascism and its rhetoric). I’m not particularly famous nor am I a professional (as I said I just started), but it brings me hope that I can change at least few people’s minds. I hope that our efforts will eventually blossom into a better reality, but I also dread the fact that it will have enormous consequences (and unfortunately even casualties). A quote about giving up comes to mind: “The end is only when we’re 2 meters underground”, kinda brutal but true.

[@SolidSiren]

Gaslighting is anything that involves you feeling like your own reality testing is faulty and like you are crazy. It can be something a person does to you on purpose or subconsciously.

[@Seawing-v5d]

Thanks so much for your honesty at the end. My entire life, until recent events, I chose not to believe my recurring dreams of the arrival of an apocalyptic wasteland that I could do nothing to stop. I can't think of any comfort in this situation either.

[@kx7500]

Join your local food not bombs

[@acrophobe]

In a world of rhinoceri, be a Bérenger 🦏👎🙎‍♂👍

[@orijimi]

Just in case no one has brought it up, I think the microphone recording in this has some peaking issues, or w/e you'd call it. I'm not an expert. Might be good to investigate this issue for your next video.

[@dafinaglgrrrr8565]

I’m adamant, determined, dedicated, consistent, motivated, but mostly have a sense of moral responsibility to my children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. And the others in society who are being treated as outcasts of humanity. I’m sixty five and have been hopeful the majority of time. I am not losing sight of the reality of consequences of fascism and have renewed my determination.

[@stianaas2733]

Takk!

[@Shawn.Grenier]

Thank you so much! Takk!!

[@pneumaticpterodactyl4015]

I try to remember that since things can always be worse, that means we can always make things a little better than they might have been. There's always a potential future that could have been worse if you didn't fight against it.

[@lauren1779]

If you’re reading this I hope you’re doing okay, you are loved and you matter. We will figure this out 💖💙

[@dbsg89]

I really love your work. Thank you for making me aware of the work of Ionesco and its relevance for today's messed upness. As a Colombian I would dare to say that I've witnessed some of the most hardcore fascism of the 21st Century. Did you know that the army killed at the very least 6402 young poor males just to present their corpses as proof that the war against the guerilla was being won? Things are still dire AF in Colombia, but we did indeed avert an even worse looming catastrophe thanks to a few NON ISOLATED members of the anti rhinocerous league, which has fortunately expanded quite a bit. I wouldn't say that we're doing well... but at least Alvaro Uribe (main guy behind pretty much all of it) will spend the rest of his misserable life doing everything within his power to hide the truth so that his soon-to-be-rotten carcass doesn't get taken to jail where it belongs. I am most definitely afraid of the pendulum swing that will come in two years since right now we have for the first time in history an anti fascist in power. Even though he is a bright mind, and his heart is most definitely in the right place, he has not really delivered much of what he's promised, and the rhinocerouses are running through his entire platform as they please. I woulnd't be surprised if the rhinos come back with a vengeance in 2026. On a slightly different topic, I would like to share one of my favorite film of all times with you. After having watched several of your videos, I am quite certain that you would really like it: archive.org/details/la-estrategia-del-caracol The film is a comedy-drama and fictional story about freedom and solidarity, a metaphor for real estate harassment, inspired by a true story. The film deals with the hardships of low-income families in Bogotá. The gap between rich and poor and their interactions in a highly stratified social system. The most important themes of the film are squatting and home ownership and real estate harassment, and, of course, the creation of synergies as the only possible antidote against them effing rhinos. I would be incredibly happy to know if you whatched and, if so, what your thoughts on it are. I wish you the very best and that you keep up your fantastic work. Much love, Daniel.

[@ADavid42]

Peace cannot be attained through surrender.

[@HeirOfNothingInParticular]

This!

[@sasentaiko]

Thanks for explaining the context and metaphors underlying the play. In high school, I remember performing the opening scene (in the original French) and having tons of fun-but we didn’t read or analyze enough of it to get the point at all. If you’re wondering whether I was educated by rhinoceroses, well, I grew up in Florida. So they were mostly rhinoceros apologists abd appeasers at least. I wonder how many of them must be full rhinoceroses now.

[@jacksonm4247]

Always love to hear you break down political topics, especially when it’s through the lens of art. It never ceases to teach me something or reframe a viewpoint I have. Also, I like the “going off script” moments, I think it really gives the videos a personal touch. Hopefully us Americans (and all of us) can be alert and act appropriately in the face of fascism

[@sdmpx]

A second rhinoceros has hit the village

[@elligilberg1564]

I just subscribed, - I am indignant, heartbroken for my country and the world. And yes, I’m very isolated . But I will stay vigilant and resist.

[@renawdym3767]

this randomly popped up on my feed, thank you for the video - there is always something to learn from art that reflects a particular state or change in society. As you nicely put it, being against fascism is just natural to a lot of people, however certain conditions like the worsening of living conditions, climate change, housing crisis etc. can give way for such demagogues to give "easy solutions" by using scapegoats and while it is a really harsh battle, it is one we inevitably have to fight one way or the other, whether its a persons instinct, or the threats resulting from right wing demagogues and fascism. So as an advice to anyone who already has the motivation to fight this: get organised! Talk to your coworkers, fellow students or colleagues, show support for the oppressed whether its in solidarity actions like demonstrations, supporting strike movements or getting in touch with any leftist or anti-fascists groups near you (while there is a lot of weird sects and organisations out there, there's no harm in trying one out and seeing if you agree with them and if not, try another) because after all, the Trumps, Melonis and Orbans are not here to help you, but help themselves, and the best way to act against them is through mass action and solidarity with your fellow workers and colleagues. As for those who are still battling the frustration and pessimism, as was said: you are not alone, and there is hope for a better future, always.

[@trumanhicks6404]

I think the key to successfully defeating fascism is not focusing on how terrible it is. Education on the perils of fascism no doubt have their place. I don’t think enough people care about hearing the exact tenets of fascism-the avg person just doesn’t care that much. Or at least they don’t know they care . It seems to me the only way to move forward is present a more appealing alternative that is more substantive than”we are better because we aren’t them”-which is how a lot of people have interpreted the left the past decade. And to be honest that’s also the strategy of the right. They just seem to either naturally have more support or are simply better at promoting their ideas.

[@jarrollin]

In the play, regardless of their side in the debate, the characters still become rhinoceroses. The conscious convictions wear people down making them susceptible to their animal nature. The play is obviously not about sticking to ideals. Everybody in the play who sticks to their own sense of right or wrong (their ideals) becomes a rhinoceros.

[@hellofriend545]

Absolutely terrifying take from my…historically self-proclaimed “liberal” family members: “well, Donald won the election fair and square…so democracy really is functioning, and that is the will of the people”

[@faisalmuhammad6908]

Organize, organize, and organize!

[@RobertShillady]

Bravo! Welcome to The Triumph of Irrational Dogma in the once United States!

[@AnarchistArtificer]

I don't know what my duty is when it comes to rhinoceroses. My home town had a lot of rhinoceroses and I moved away because I could neither become a rhinoceros, nor live with them. Sometimes I feel guilty for moving away, because I don't know whether rhinoceroses can turn back into people, and if that change is possible, then it's going to come from people close to them, over a long period of time. However, I didn't know how to do that without making a useless martyr of myself and being trampled by the rhinoceroses. I'm safer, and happier now than I was back then. I have been trying to get more involved with local organising to stave away dread of rhinoceroses. However, is this just blissful ignorance, given that I know my home town is increasingly overrun with rhinoceroses? Despite being marginalised on multiple axes, the fact I was able to escape and steal for myself some of this hopeful bliss is a monument to my privilege, and I wonder what right I have to be happy when so many don't get the chance to escape. I wonder whether moving away as I have done is a kind of tolerance: not quite the same tolerance as Dudard expresses, but maybe the same effect - ultimately, it just leads to more rhinoceroses

[@williamfrazier4797]

Back in the 1970si I was disappointed watching hippies transforming into yuppies which I saw as fascist-lite.

[@slu77y]

they bought cheap homes and watched them go up in value

[@cristianamanole3110]

0:34 oh my god!!! A fellow romanian!!!!

[@sirmeowthelibrarycat]

🤔 There are close similarities between that play and William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’. A chilling example of how a group (of schoolboys) can collapse into violence, resulting in death.

[@Bobogdan258]

Eugene Ionesco is such a great Romanian artist, he has an interesting history for being in a fascist intellectual circle under Nae Ionescu with other renowned romanian philosophers like Emil Cioran and Mircea Eliade (Jordan Peterson and Aleksandr Dugin's favourite author). Only Ionesco and a jewish student denounce their fascist links. Nae Ionescu basically translated the fascist Julius Evola's writing (who was formerly was a dadaist artist, a romanian-born post-modern movement, only to criticize the church), Ionescu's disciple Mircea Eliade would further generalize on Ionescu's ideas that he translated from Evola.

[@Starufoji]

For the algorithm!!! ❤

[@catregime]

Thank you so much for this. We need this rn.

[@sl-lz3dw]

I found and bought a copy of the play's script thanks to you.

[@cassiusmoody]

Nbs one of the best analogies i have EVER heard for the deception of fascism

[@eltecnopata5627]

I would say that another factor for the rise of fascism is the use of vulnerable people (y'know, the poorest of people, ex-alcoholics/drug addicted, the uneducated) to get in power and then abandoning them. And i think it is as important to help these groups as aknowloding the fascists themselves. But great video, as always :D

[@LUISARAMOSCRICK]

I really enjoyed your analyses and I am terrified with fascism spreading in Europe. I lived the first 15 years of my life under a dictatorship. So...

[@dourmoose]

Thank you.