Dystopia now

Andy Ngo refers to the cable series Portlandia in the conclusion of his chilling Spectator USA column “What’s the matter with Portland?” He writes: “The city has gained a comic reputation as a bastion of wokeness due to the comedy sketch show Portlandia. That’s way off the mark. Real life Portland is much, much worse, and it’s no joke.” His column is published at the Spectator USA together with the related video below (which is also posted here on his YouTube channel).

It seems to me that Ngo’s portrait of Portland today brings us a passable vision of dystopia now (and not some nightmarish future). It nevertheless raises the question implicit in the great dystopian novels: Is Portland the wave of the future?

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