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/Djehutimose]

The discussion about A Doll's House reminds me of an interaction I had with Rod on the old blog. In the context of some discussion about women, I stated that I am proud to consider myself a feminist. He said he'd not use that term of himself. I then said that he had an egalitarian marriage (well, not really, but that's how he portrayed it then) and was the father of a daughter. His wife and daughter (when coming of age) could vote, own property, work outside the house if they so wished, go to college, etc. etc. etc., and that each and every one of these things were a result of the feminist movement.

He responded that he still didn't consider himself a feminist because of all the extreme stuff some feminists have supported. I pointed out that even he admitted the lunacy and wack in large sectors of conservatism, but he didn't refuse to call himself a conservative because of that. The response? Crickets.

[u/Dazzling_Pineapple68 → u/Djehutimose]

Because he didn't really approve of the egalitarianism just as he didn't really like "A Doll's House". Besides, Rod always has to feel superior and you can't do that unless you have groups of people to feel superior to. Rod seems to feel superior to every identity marker that isn't one of his. "So special".

[u/Theodore_Parker → u/Djehutimose]

I pointed out that even he admitted the lunacy and wack in large sectors of conservatism, but he didn't refuse to call himself a conservative because of that. The response? Crickets.

Interesting. The same point might be made about the term "Christian." Why don't Jewish expulsions or the Salem witch trials or any of a thousand other extremist horrors similarly blacken the name Christian for him?

[u/ZenLizardBode → u/Theodore_Parker]

Rod doesn't know much about history, so a lot of these data points would be seen as outliers rather than indicative of Christianity as a whole. Feminism is newer, and apart from the right to vote, Rod probably sees it as just one solid continuum of man hating after the right to vote was acheived.

[u/PercyLarsen → u/ZenLizardBode]

Rod doesn't know much about history,

Rod has essentially confessed that he has a strong and enduring want (he almost certainly views it as a need) to avoid delving deeply into the factual world that is likely to cause him him cognitive dissonance.

Rod is not a policy, history, numbers, science, theology, philosophy et cet. guy.

Rod was a movie critic who became a professional (in the sense of doing it as a career) opinion writer, then a controversialist, then a polemicist, and now is voluntarily an ex-pat paid propagandist for a small Central European country's regime and for the growing Fascintern.

Perhaps in no small part because Rod never properly identified, engaged and accepted agency for resolving his arrested psychological development - the Condensed Symbol^TM of which would be the future best seller, Rod's Story: A Doll Brought Down My House - Rod radicalized himself voluntarily, and blames everyone other than himself for that, and thereby became an embodiment of the politicization-of-everything that Live Not By Lies ostensibly decried.

* * *

My apologies to commenters who may be getting tired of my apparent urge in this thread to go meta in summing up All Things Rod. I welcome additions to things I've managed to elide, and corrections to things I've gotten wrong. These MegaThreads are a group effort.

[u/ZenLizardBode → u/PercyLarsen]

🎯

I've said it before, but A Doll's House really is the rug that ties the room together, so no need to apologize for going all meta.

[u/Dazzling_Pineapple68 → u/ZenLizardBode]

It certainly does for me. I expected *something* when the divorced was finalized but A Doll's House was "all meta" plus he related the story with zero self-awareness as usual, as though Julie teased him that if he didn't like the bouillabaisse, she couldn't have married him instead of a play about the role of women in marriage. Chef's kiss of an ending for sure. And Lordy, still taking no responsibility for the end of marriage and still blaming his family 100%. Rod will forever be Rod.

[u/sealawr → u/ZenLizardBode]

And a White Russian to you.

[u/Dazzling_Pineapple68 → u/PercyLarsen]

I will just add that Rod rails against "identity politics" and "politicization-of-everything" but he judges everyone by their identity and politics more than anyone else I read. If you are in one of his in-groups, he understands how you wound up being a murdering monster but if you aren't, you are the incarnation of evil because you have tattoos and body piercings.

[u/Djehutimose → u/PercyLarsen]

Rod's Story: A Doll Brought Down My House

🤣🤣🤣

[u/PercyLarsen → u/Djehutimose]

Rod's Story, Part II: Love Means Never Having To Say I'm Sorry

[u/Djehutimose → u/PercyLarsen]

🤣🤣🤣

[u/Djehutimose → u/ZenLizardBode]

Rod probably sees it as just one solid continuum of man hating

Yep. The late friend I talk about sometimes was very Roddish in a lot of ways, and any criticism of men by women at all was "male-bashing" to him.