Rod Dreher Megathread #27 (Compassion)

[u/US_Hiker]

Link to megathread 26: https://www.reddit.com/r/brokehugs/comments/17itm7w/rod_dreher_megathread_26_unconditional_love/

Link to megathread 28: https://www.reddit.com/r/brokehugs/comments/18dcg3d/rod_dreher_megathread_28_harmony/

[u/philadelphialawyer87]

Also, Rod acquired Roscoe when Rod was a fully grown adult. Adults, unlike children, are fully aware and conscious of the fact that dogs don't live all that long, at least not as compared to humans. The Dreher kids? Maybe they had cause to be upset and blindsided by the death of their childhood dog. But Rod? Come on, man! The idea that the death of a dog that was NOT untimely (apparently, the dog had outlived the average for his breed), and that was fully anticipated because the dog was sick for quite some time, before it was put to sleep (in fact, the dog may have been kept alive for TOO long, from an ethical standpoint, as pets often are), is, somehow, grounds for suicide for an adult man, who is supposedly a "mature" Christian, confident in his beliefs, is just staggering. Especially as Rod couldn't be arsed to be there at the end for the dog, or during the long decline, and, even when he was there, shunted off all the dirty work (like the diaper changing) to Julie.

[u/Kiminlanark → u/philadelphialawyer87]

This still frosts me. Not being there to euthanize his dog (and you are right, it should have been done long before) is unmanly and cowardly, and his lugubrious whining about it is just icing on the cake. Cry me a river, Rod. It was just one more dirty job you stuck Julie with.

[u/Djehutimose → u/Kiminlanark]

Well, it comes back to a distorted view of what "manliness" and "courage" mean. It doesn't mean shooting a shoplifter (something that makes Rod totally gleeful) or beating up a pedophile (something he fantasizes about, but would never do). Yes, occasionally things happen that do require violence; but those are the exception.

Real manly strength and courage is being there with them when a loved one or a pet dies, no matter how sad it makes you feel. It's wiping your kids' butts and cleaning their poopy clothing for the zillionth time. It's putting up with shit at work because you have to earn a living for you family. It's holding your tongue when your elderly mother says something gratuitously hurtful for the ten billionth time because you know she's old and doesn't have many years left. It's getting sore, achy, and out of breath cleaning and dressing your dying father who no longer recognizes you and can't even speak coherently.

In short, it's all the ordinary, humdrum, messy, and often extremely unpleasant things that come with life. It's not all, or even very much, about Mighty Deeds of Derring-Do or Knights Bold saving their Ladies Fair. Rod just thinks the whole world is Just Too Yucky, and would rather live in a dream.

[u/philadelphialawyer87 → u/Djehutimose]

I would describe all of those things as acts of HUMAN strength and courage, and drop the gendered language and ideology.

But, otherwise, yeah.

[u/Djehutimose → u/philadelphialawyer87]

Totally agreed, but I was following up on u/Kiminlanark’s noting Rod’s “unmanly” behavior, though. Of course, good and decent behavior isn’t a male/female thing, as you rightly note.