Irrational notions become dangerous when supported by those who know better
Paranoid delusions enter the mainstream when the mainstream opens the gates and welcomes them in.
Sometimes the gatekeepers have Boris Johnson’s smirk or Donald Trump’s leer on their lips: the smiles of nihilists who will exploit any lie if it furthers their interests. More often, the gatekeepers are just cowards who offer only fixed grins. Politicians too frightened of losing their seats or their shot at a place in the elite. Journalists who give their readers what they want. They know they should slam the gate shut on deranged ideas and movements. They dare not, for fear of the price they may pay.
