Author sheds light on divisive ideologies

January 28, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons
William Gairdner is fearless.
He’s a risk-taker and a bit of a daredevil. Gairdner’s thrills don’t come from skydiving or bungee jumping, but rather from elevating the level of frank discussion of important issues.
Open dialogue about everything from gay marriages and equality to euthanasia and the fundamentals of democracy, is sadly lacking in Canada and across the western world. Public fear and silence has permeated modern society to the point where we’ve become over-governed, over-regulated and our bloated legislative system is straying far afield.
And so, this Olympic athlete had taken upon himself the herculean task of enticing many minds to come together and join in frank debate, trying to stem the tide of apathy.
Gairdner is up to the task. The retired educator, who earned a PhD from Stanford University in English Literature, is one of Canada’s critically acclaimed straight-shooters, having penned On Higher Ground, The Trouble with Canada, The War Against the Family and Constitutional Crack-up. He’s not accustomed to holding back. His newest book, The Great Divide: Why Liberals and Conservatives Will Never, Ever Agree, will hit the shelves in the coming weeks. It will likely cause a bit of a stir, both here and south of the border.
Already Gairdner has received many interview requests from various media, as well as an offer to appear on the U.S. talk show Real Time with Bill Maher.
The theme of The Great Divide is that the citizenry of the democratic world is becoming increasingly divided from within, due to a growing ideological incompatibility between modern liberalism and conservatism. Gairdner contends that civil conversation at the surface has been failing and that could mean democracy is failing.
This book is an effort to deepen the conversation. And you don’t have to be a political junkie to appreciate the earnest opinions Gairdner expresses. He’s trying to dig beneath the surface of all of us, bringing to light some honest exchange. He’s not trying to ruffle any feathers or stir emotions, but generate civil conversation.
He could be compared to Plato or the Greek God Veritas in his quest for public enlightenment.
As an aid to understanding, the book contains a handful of “tables” that compare modern liberal and conservative views across a range of fundamental moral and political issues so readers can answer the book’s main question: “Where Do You Stand?”
Political correctness today is the elephant in the room, he stressed. He noted in his youth, people were much less afraid to express their opinions. Discussions around the dinner table were current, open and honest.
Canada’s founding fathers exuded passion and they likely would not have approved of our level of conceits. In many ways, our good intentions to become an accepting, welcoming nation have backfired.
And we’re paying the price through a bloated civil service; intrusive regulations and ultimately voter apathy and distrust.
“I don’t like to see a divided population,” he said, adding “I want us to speak our minds.”
Gairdner tackles the concepts of democracy and freedom the world over.
He observed that modern democracies arose from the desire to protect citizens from oppressive rule. Part of that involves an obligation to honour the sacrifices of our ancestors and a duty to future generations. But these very systems we created to save us have morphed into quite the opposite.
The purpose of government is to make people happy at home. Democracy isn’t necessarily about critical thinking, and in many parts of the world, it has evolved into a voracious gravy train with no end in sight.
Gairdner said we’ve become a sort of “tripartite state” where one-third of the people work to create wealth; one-third are employed by the government and another third receive benefits from the government.
“In the voting booth, the last two segments will eventually gang up on the first, signaling the mutation of a nation of makers, into a nation of takers,” he said.
He’s asking the blatant questions others are afraid to ask. He perpetuates the idea of a “moral rupture” where taxpayers work like dogs supporting governments that are bending under never-ending debt. All government debt is a form of deferred taxation and this will create the self-perpetuating, inter-generational rupture.
“We can’t stamp our feet and constantly ask for more and more,” he said.
Our legacy should be one of sound infrastructure and positive government budgets. Our huge debts are a form of breach of confidence.
Gairdner is passionate because he loves Canada and all that it is and can be. He’s eloquent and well spoken, but not preachy or pedantic.
He’s from very good stock and while he’s lived a privileged life, perhaps this elevated vantage point has given him a prime spot from which to launch his barbed arrows.
He doesn’t pretend to have all the answers or a perfect solution.
Acknowledging our fundamental differences and talking about them results in a win-win scenario. But we mustn’t be sheepish about it.
Reading The Great Divide is a start. It’s due out Feb. 17, released by Encounter Books.
To find out more about what makes Gairdner tick, visit www.williamgairdner.com.