Zimbabwean cheers Cecil the lion's death, mocks 'absurdist circus' of U.S. grief, in NY Times op-ed

Cecil the lion
(Image credit: Andy Loveridge/AP)

One of the best parts of The Onion, and a staple of news satire, is the point/counterpoint format. In Wednesday's New York Times, op-ed contributor Goodwell Nzou provides a real-life counterpoint to the prevailing U.S. outrage of the killing of Cecil, the Zimbabwean lion allegedly killed by a Minneapolis dentist.

When he read about Cecil's demise, "the village boy inside me instinctively cheered: One lion fewer to menace families like mine," writes Nzou, who is working toward a PhD in molecular and cellular biosciences at Wake Forest. And when he found out that the dentist is being treated as the villain, "I faced the starkest cultural contradiction I'd experienced during my five years studying in the United States." He continues:

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.