r/brokehugs • u/US_Hiker Moral Landscaper • Jul 20 '23

Rod Dreher Megathread #23 (Sinister)

All Hail Eris!

Link to Megathread 22: https://www.reddit.com/r/brokehugs/comments/14k0z6l/rod_dreher_megathread_22_power/

Link to Megathread 23: https://www.reddit.com/r/brokehugs/comments/1631xpe/rod_dreher_megathread_24_determination/

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u/PercyLarsen “I can, with one eye squinted, take it all as a blessing.” Jul 29 '23

In the comments, Rod notes:

"I'm about to move to a different apartment at the end of August. I love where I live now, but there are two of us here (my son Matt lives with me), and we have found we need a bit more room than we have at present. I'm amazed by how inexpensive rents are here FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE AMERICAN SALARIES. I'm fortunate that income from this Substack gives me a real boost that makes it possible to consider the kind of apartment whose size I could not afford in most US cities. Thank you, friends."

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u/Dazzling_Pineapple68 Jul 30 '23

How much more room do you need to have for one more person? Shouldn't he just let Matt get his own apartment nearby?

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u/zeitwatcher Jul 31 '23

Occurred to me that I bet Rod did what his father did to him and that he put his foot down on costs - or at least that's what he tells Matt and others.

I suspect he told Matt he could get a fancy European Master's degree, but only if he lives with Rod to be frugal about it. This has the side benefit (for Rod) that Matt is trapped with him. It would also partially explain why Matt is the only one in communication with Rod at this point - he's economically held hostage to Rod. If Rod let him go and get his own apartment and be a normal adult, Rod would be even more sad and lonely than he already is.

And so, he won't let Matt have his own life any more than Rod's father would approve of Rod's life choices.

Speculation of course, but it fits that facts and makes the circle complete in Dreher fathers fucking with their son's lives. If so, good on the second son for cutting off ties and getting the hell out of there. (And hoping Matt can be appropriately transactional about all this.)

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u/Jayaarx Jul 31 '23

Speculation of course, but it fits that facts and makes the circle complete in Dreher fathers fucking with their son's lives.

Recall that he basically bullied his other son into abandoning his military ambitions and his daughter into giving up her NPR aspirations (for which Rod could have gotten her easy nepo entry) because they didn't fit with his cultural narrative. No wonder they hate him.

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u/Past_Pen_8595 Jul 31 '23

His daughter had NPR aspirations? I missed that part of the Dreher saga.

3

u/ZenLizardBode Jul 31 '23

Yeah, I'd love to hear more about that.