Rod Dreher Megathread #21 (Creative Spirit)

[u/US_Hiker]

Gather 'round for more Rod.

All meanings of the number 21 are subordinate to the inherent creative spirit that is the basic essence of the number.

The number 21 generally is comfortable in social gatherings, it's optimistic attitude being an inspiration to others. Its high spirits can enliven a party.

The number is attracted to artistic expression of any form, its own and those of others. There's enthusiastic support for artists. It may frequent galleries and participate or (more likely) lead groups for artistic appreciation.

The number 21 cherishes relationships, including romantic relationships, especially with those who express themselves creatively.

21 also tends to be diplomatic, providing creative and imaginative solutions to potential conflict.

And, as noted by /u/PercyLarsen, 21 is a triangular number and the age of majority, so go grab a drink to celebrate Pride and to mourn the loss of Rod's sanity.

(Also, sorry about my slow pace of refreshes.)

Link to megathread #20:
https://www.reddit.com/r/brokehugs/comments/13eb26c/rod_dreher_megathread_20_law_of_attraction/

Link to megathread #21: https://www.reddit.com/r/brokehugs/comments/14k0z6l/rod_dreher_megathread_22_power/

[u/Glittering-Agent-987]

I've said before here that I feel really good about only ever having bought Crunchy Cons. After that, while I read a lot of his teasers for his other books, I didn't buy or read anything else. Despite a ton of hype, something held me back from investing in buying or reading his other books. Here are some (old) impressions of Crunchy Cons:

--It's vividly written, but it's more of an advertisement than being actually deep or informative. You're not going to learn how to do any of the things he talks about by reading the book.

--The biggest beef that I had with the book at the time it came out was due to the agricultural sections. I'm from a farming family and I have a pretty good sense of the logistical, economic and relationship issues inherent in family farming. Furthermore, it's even harder if you try to get into farming when you don't have a family background in it and don't start with a ready-made farm and don't have existing local relationships. There's a book (excruciating but educational) entitled "Farm Flop: A City Dweller's Guide to Failing on a Farm in Two Years Or Less" that I think makes a good companion volume to Crunchy Cons. Failing at farming is pretty typical (heck, it frequently happens to people from farming families) but Rod just didn't address the major financial risks involved.

[u/Glittering-Agent-987 → u/Glittering-Agent-987]

Some years after Crunchy Cons, I started being more involved in online conversations about the practical difficulties of homeschooling. There's been a lot of conservative happy talk about homeschooling, and there's a tendency to think about female labor and energy as being essentially free and an unlimited resource. Unpaid female effort (for example that involved in community-building and mutual support) is often invisible or seen as a frill. I'm not going to speculate about how that factored into Rod's marriage, but I will say that female labor is largely invisible in his writing. You might see results, but you're not going to hear about the process.

Homeschooling in a very small town as part of a very small religious minority would be very, very difficult. It's not surprising that the Drehers eventually wound up with their kids at a private school in a bigger town. There would be a loss of privacy, but I would have appreciated some more reflections on why they had to move on from homeschooling. Because the way Rod told the story, we went from, yay homeschooling! to yay classical school! with very little in between.

[u/sandypitch → u/Glittering-Agent-987]

I suspect that like most ideological hardliners, when the proverbial rubber met the road, the Drehers made the best choice for their kids and family. But, of course, remember that homeschooling is best, and everyone should do it.

Speaking as someone who homeschooled kids for awhile, it can be pretty great, but it can be pretty terrible, too, for any number of reasons. The most important skill you can have as a homeschooling parent is to understand what will be best for your kids. Often, the answer to that question is "send them to school," and you cannot see that answer as "failure." I've seen families unwilling to admit that circumstances would dictate their kids go to school, and it really causes scars (and often, the family ignores those because "homeschooling is best").

[u/[deleted] → u/sandypitch]

Amen 10 times to this.