Friday 29 April 2011

Against the Proud Paralytics

“Do not be proud of the fact that your grandmother was shocked at something which you are accustomed to seeing or hearing without being shocked. . . . It may mean that your grandmother was an extremely lively and vital animal; and that you are a paralytic.” 

G.K. Chesterton, “On Dialect and Decency”, Avowals and Denials (New York: Dodd, Mead, & Co., 1935), pp.77-8.
at

15 comments:

  1. Bruce Charlton3 May 2011 at 14:11

    It doesn't really support the GKC's point - but it could equally be said that:

    'You would be shocked at many things which your grandmother would be accustomed to seeing or hearing without being shocked.'

    Such as:

    http://www.listal.com/list/top-10-politically-incorrect-kids

    ReplyDelete
  2. Restroom4 May 2011 at 16:16

    It's a fine thing you're back to writing now. There's fuck-all else on the internet as enjoyable.

    ReplyDelete
  3. dearieme4 May 2011 at 23:12

    I can remember my parents calmly discussing the fact that when they were young (1920s) it was not uncommon to simply let a seriously deformed or disabled newborn babe die. I was too young to ask whether such a wee mite might be put out of its misery, i.e. be smothered, but I dare say it was.

    ReplyDelete
  4. dearieme5 May 2011 at 14:07

    Oops: "I dare say it was" should have read "I dare say it was not uncommon".

    ReplyDelete
  5. James Higham12 May 2011 at 14:21

    Agree with Chesterton - the dulling of the "moral sense" is a symptom of the greater malaise.

    ReplyDelete
  6. David Duff16 May 2011 at 10:02

    Your new design - very elegant but I miss the Lichtenberg quote, you know, the one I nicked for my place!

    ReplyDelete
  7. James Higham17 May 2011 at 00:19

    Quite like the new layout.

    ReplyDelete
  8. dearieme17 May 2011 at 18:35

    When I was wee, houses often went that colour from the cigarette smoke.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Doofus21 July 2011 at 17:59

    Oh no. It looks like deogulwolf has gone back into hibernation.

    ReplyDelete
  10. dearieme27 December 2011 at 21:31

    I do apologise old fruit, I failed to wish you a Merry Christmas. Nonetheless, a Happy New Year to you.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Deogolwulf28 December 2011 at 13:37

    And to you, old horse.

    ReplyDelete
  12. poulpinnette2 January 2012 at 10:19

    Merry Christmas to you.
    Looks like I found your little jewel of a blog when you have decided that there is more to life than blogging in the Pascalian universe...

    ReplyDelete
  13. dearieme29 April 2012 at 15:00

    It's been more than a year. If you won't pay any heed to the requests of your old regular readers, will Miss Hanshaw's imploring move you?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2FaPVrTZUc

    ReplyDelete
  14. Whispering Jack1 May 2012 at 02:38

    Never fails to move me.

    Let's hope it's not "That's all" from D.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Deogolwulf22 July 2012 at 21:40

    I thought it better to do more reading than writing.

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.