In my latest National Post column I say the strong showing of the allegedly "far right" Alternative für Deutschland in the German election means you must either call one in eight German voters a neo-Nazi or concede that many normal people are deeply dissatisfied with politics as usual nowadays.
"But, when infection is about, an open mind is about as safe as an open sewer."
Nicholas Murray in The Sunday Times April 7, 2002 (specifically re Aldous Huxley succumbing to so many cranky notions before and after moving to California)
"I can listen patiently to a Communist repeating for hours at a time that Property is unnecessary, because men must surrender selfish interests to social ideals. I only begin to break the furniture when somebody starts to prove that Property is necessary, because men are all selfish and every man must look after himself. The case for Property is not that a man must look after himself; but, on the contrary, that a normal man has to look after other people, if it be simply a wife and family. It is that this unit should have an economic basis for its social independence. If he were considering only himself, he might be more independent as a vagabond; he might be more secure as a serf. But the point at the moment is that I like Property because it is a noble thing. I can respect the revolutionist who dislikes it because it is an ignoble thing. But I have no truck with the cynic who likes it because it is ignoble."
G.K. Chesterton in "The New Dark Ages" in G.K.’s Weekly May 21 1927, quoted in Gilbert Magazine Vol. 9 # 8, Issue 73 (July-August 2006) p. 9.
"No theory, no history."
Werner Sombart, quoted in Theodore Von Laue The World Revolution of Westernization
"Those who talk of 'tolerating all opinions' are very provincial bigots who are only familiar with one opinion."
G.K. Chesterton in Illustrated London News Feb. 24, 1912, quoted in Gilbert Magazine Vol. 9 #6
"As we want a person to play for pleasure, we want him to think for pleasure."
G. K. Chesterton in Illustrated London News Feb. 18 1928, quoted in Gilbert Magazine Vol. 16 #4 (Jan.-Feb. 2013) p. 44.
Jesse Brown of Canadaland just posted an interview with me about The Rebel, Charlottesville and the state of public debate more generally. He and I certainly don't see eye to eye on a lot of things so I appreciate the opportunity to have a civil discussion about our disagreements instead of the sort of shouting match that too often erupts nowadays.
"Now there’s a man with an open mind - you can feel the breeze from here!"
Groucho Marx