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  • Taura Edgar

The picture was taken by a friend, Taura Edgar, who once lived in Seattle but now lives in Hong Kong. The 21st-century dandy she captured is reading his smartphone with the assistance of a hand lens. He is also in a mode of transportation that does not offend his mode of being in the world—public transportation. A dandy is indeed a "public transportation snob." Though the dandy strives to be striking, to be singular, to be original, he/she has an aristocratic sensibility that is essentially democratic. A dandy never wants privacy; he/she wants to be seen and to see others. A dandy out of the city is like that fish out of water. The bigger the city, the more distinct is this creature of the city. The dandy also does not need a big house or a comfortable apartment. He/she is fine with a hole in the wall. You will never find a form of politics that is better suited for the dandy than socialism. Seeking profits, careerism, saving money, and planning for retirement are examples of poor taste. The dandy dislikes the middle class with the same intensity as the aristocrats of yesterday, but he/she is not above the public but a part of it. A dandy never grows old.