The General Eclectic

Kale is joined today by Dr. Larry Chapp, blogger and retired professor, in discussing Ross Douthat's latest piece at First Things. The mid-century inspired accommodation between Catholicism and American liberal democracy is fraying, so that the existing "liberal" and "conservative" camps no longer appear operative. Emergent are four basic subgroups: populists, integralists, benedictines, and tradinistas. Larry and Kale go to discuss why the old friction-less detente is in need of an upgrade, and why the message of faith must recapture the goodness, the essential attractiveness, of the Good News. Enjoy. Links: Douthat First Things piece: Catholic Ideas and Catholic Realities by Ross Douthat | Articles | First Things We Hold These Truths: We Hold These Truths by John Courtney Murray (goodreads.com) Larry's Blog: Gaudium et Spes 22 – Dr. Larry Chapp Links to our former discussions: (1) Kale Zelden - YouTube

Rod and Kale reconnect this week to discuss decline and fall scenarios, particularly in the context of a Tanner Greer piece called "Culture Wars are Long Wars (Culture Wars are Long Wars – The Scholar's Stage (scholars-stage.org)) and how so much Conservative Inc energy and resources has been deeply misunderstood. Conservatives have waged a political war while missing the deeper and more deeply consequential culture war. The "Blue Church" cathedral freak out over Orban illustrates this two-tier battle. Nostalgic Conservatism dominates the second half of the show, and both Rod and Kale point to the power of enchanted story as a powerful antidote and inoculation against the deep culture war being waged for our children and our children's children.

Kale is joined by Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson to discuss the literary tradition and why we must read. He starts by asking Jessica why teaching literature is difficult and fraught. Instead of reading for identity affirmation, Jessica points to the inherent ability to challenge us that makes the tradition so dynamic and ultimately anti-fragile. The tradition--that which is received and that which is passed on--gives us a way of being in the world, without which we hazard our shared humanity. Contrary to current notions of progressive education theories that foreground technologies instead of content, Jessica posits a vision of education in which we come to understand the broad inheritance and not the narrowed focus literature as a selfish mirror.

Rod returns to talk about the disconnect between official narratives and on-the-ground reception of Live Not By Lies by refugees from Venezuela and former communist countries. They move on to discuss the "logic of civilization," and whether or not we have lost the wisdom needed to live together. Do proponents of the emergent woke ideology really understand what demons they are summoning vis a vis white identity politics. Kale and Rod end on a passionate plea for a renewal in the hope of civilization.

Kale is joined in this episode by Emile Doak, Executive Director of the American Conservative to discuss the big rethink on the Right. What will the Right be in the post Trump era? Will it double-down on globalism, or tack to a more localist or nationalist position? Will there be a fruitful discussion about distinctions between policy and principle? What role will technology play in this moment for reflection and revision? What will survive in the wake of Conservative Inc's exposure? Mentioned in this episode: Abigail Shrier: When the State Comes for Your Kids | City Journal (city-journal.org) The Rest is History Podcast: ‎The Rest Is History on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to TAC: Subscribe | The American Conservative

Rod, fresh back from his amazing trip to Bucharest promoting Live Not By Lies, returns with Kale to talk about his deepening appreciation for the cultural and political scene. The West has lost its Authority in many ways, becoming in some sense a Zombie-culture. In the charge to "read the signs of the times," they discuss the neo-racist talks at Yale, Pope Francis' snub of Orban, and James Lindsey's ongoing discussion of Hegel as the "operating system" of the left.

Rod and Kale reconnect after his return from Poland, Rod reports on his ongoing conversations with Western academics and intellectuals about what is going on with the state of discourse, and the control of The Narrative. It strikes them both as incredible to think that the former communist countries have become a beacon of intellectual freedom in this time of self censorship. Speaking of censorship, the lab leak hypothesis is now "New York Times official" with the latest Bret Stephens piece. Kale and Rod discuss the implications of the capture of the scientific establishment, the odd protection of a narrative and a comparison to it and NFL Commissioner's campaign a decade ago to "protect the shield," along with the protection of the church during the abuse crisis. Viewpoint diversity, though messy and a bit chaotic, seems to be the only recourse to finding truth. Rod ends with a comparison with the underappreciated comparison between our moment and the lead up to the Spanish Civil War.

Fresh off an oyster-laden trip to Paris, replete with great conversations about Live Not By Lies and a couple of compelling "green shoots" of hope about Benedict Option-style lay communities, Rod is on the road again to Warsaw. He joins Kale to discuss his trip and his newfound renewal in his vocation. He and Kale talk about discernment between carrying your cross or laying it down, and the crucial element of credibility in living out your vocation. Sacrifice and gift seem to be fellow travellers. St. Galgano's story figures prominently in Rod's renewed vision. Kale invokes Babette's Feast. They go on to chew on the latest woke eruptions, and then move on to discuss the profoundness of institutional rot and capture, especially as regards the church. Rod invokes a piece by JD Flynn from The Pillar about Bishop Rick Stika, and then they go on to discuss a searing and painful essay from Steve Skojec called "Against Crippled Religion." In short, hurt people hurt people. Where are our fathers? Mentioned in the podcast: JD Flynn's piece: Bishop Stika wants 'the whole story' ahead of Vatican investigation - The Pillar (pillarcatholic.com) Steve Skojec's essay: Against Crippled Religion - The Skojec File (steveskojec.com) Rod's trip to France: The Oyster King Lives | The American Conservative

Rod and Kale ruminate on what our moment heralds for us in the West. Rod's offers further thoughts on his experience of watching his home from afar, and how perspectives can be shaped by being a "stranger in a strange land." Why is the future, which has been located optimistically in the West and in the concept of Freedom, suddenly up for grabs. In his conversations with ordinary Hungarians, many voice a skepticism of their own government, but also a genuine distaste for the external threats of immigration and the internal threats of gender ideology. Is our faith in the future at stake? Can the West muster the energy and focus to play the role of future shaper? Or will China's brand of capital diplomacy be our future? Both think we are at the end of something big...and perhaps as a culture, we really are in fact crazy. Mentioned in the podcast: Baylor Flipped: Every Knee Shall Bow | The American Conservative Carl Trueman's The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self - Faith & Law (faithandlaw.org) Al Mohler podcast on Baylor: Monday, May 17, 2021 - AlbertMohler.com Walker Percy's letter to the NYT: Walker Percy's 1981 Letter to the New York Times on the Con and Doublespeak of the Abortion Discussion (thegospelcoalition.org) Richard Henania: Why is Everything Liberal? - Richard Hanania's Newsletter (substack.com)

Rod and Kale react to the news that John Lennon's Boomer Anthem "Imagine" plays across Germany in their "synodal" moment. As they rush to bless same-sex unions in defiance of the CDF, when will a break become a break? After a brief mention of the new woke college president at LSU, Kale asks Rod to talk about the vocation of writing, how he found it, the proliferation of platforms amdidst the collapse of legacy journalism, and the future of writing. Kale presses Rod on his own process, his life at home versus his life in Budapest.

Kale and Rod catch up on Rod's stay in Budapest. In this wide-ranging conversation, they discuss social media and the default socialization of the young, the new perspective on things from the outside, the Chinese move to fill the void of Western meltdown and the latest chapter in the long march through the institutions. Has any culture had to deal with the twin-headed monster of social media and porn ubiquity? What effect are these having on the plastic minds of the young? Is the body politic in more danger from the genetic disease or the various memetic ones? What is our responsibility and method to fight back? Be sure to check out Rod's latest at his blog: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/

Rod and Kale discuss his arrival in Budapest, and the alternate worlds of Covid lockdowns. Being away from America, and reading about America, has Rod in a reflective mood about how crazy we seem from afar. What is the end game of The Narrative? Where is the sense of adult-level responsibility for our media elites. Is there a way to call us off the ledge? The aftermath of the George Floyd verdict has us wondering if we are headed for another "forever war" but this time on the domestic front. We continue our conversation focusing on the Body Politic, it's flabbiness and the vulnerability to pathogens, both real and of the mind. We close on a conversation about church rot, Bishop Barron, and the idea that to know is to be responsible in light of Steve Skojec's piece on One Peter Five. The Most Honest Politician of the Week Award was given to Nancy Pelosi for her religious fervorino in the aftermath of the verdict. Let us know what you think. Links: Evergreen Documentary: (5) PART ONE: Bret Weinstein, Heather Heying & the Evergreen Equity Council - YouTube Pelosi Transcript: https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/nancy-pelosi-speech-after-derek-chauvin-verdict-transcript-april-20 The Forever Race War: The Forever Race-Narrative War | The American Conservative Macron Warns about Critical Race Theory: 'Woke' American Ideas Are a Threat, French Leaders Say - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Amidst Conflicting Fatima "Secrets," a Clear Message Shines - OnePeterFive

Rod and Kale discuss the shift in corporate virtue signaling and the move to make the states pay for their crimes. Are corporations more powerful than the government? They move on to talk about institutional capture and the challenges of raising not only religious kids but also basically conservative kids. They then tack to a conversation about the impending doom of the Derek Chuavin trial. Is it a disaster in the making? What is the responsibility for those with large megaphones and platforms?

Kale discusses a recent Substack in which Ross articulates the dilemmas facing Christian's in light of our current cultural exhaustions, what Ross works out in more detail with his latest book The Decadent Society. Rod joins Kale to continue the conversation and they talk about post-Obergfell, the Integralist response, and pessimism regarding where we stand. Ross's The Decadent Society: The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success: Douthat, Ross: 9781476785240: Amazon.com: Books Charles Taylor The Secular Age: A Secular Age: Taylor, Charles: 9780674986916: Amazon.com: Books Ross's Substack on Christian Cul-de-sacs: Reactions (substack.com) Rod's post on Discord Discord Servers: Woke Friends Consider Her A Leper | The American Conservative Rod's response to Ross's Substack: Cosmos & Chickadee | The American Conservative Rod's Sex After Christianity (a MUST read): Sex After Christianity | The American Conservative

In The General Eclectic #13, Rod and Kale discuss woke parents and school committees, social credit and social media, Lil Nas X and anti-Christian culture, and more. Links: Woke Parents Enemies list: In Aftermath Of Enemies List, School Committee Pledges To 'Silence The Opposition' | The Daily Wire and Teachers Compile List Of Parents Who Question Racial Curriculum, Plot War On Them | The Daily Wire Rod's post on Two College Guys visit: 'Lovely People' & The Social Credit System | The American Conservative Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism: The Origins of Totalitarianism: Arendt, Hannah: 9780156701532: Amazon.com: Books Lil Nas's Satan Sneakers: Lil Nas X's Satan Shoes | The American Conservative Lil Nas's NPR interview: Lil Nas X On His Children's Book, 'C Is For Country,' And Playing To Kids : NPR Plenty Coups: Who Is The Plenty Coups Of The Christians? | The American Conservative The Church as Culture: The Church as Culture by Robert Louis Wilken | Articles | First Things Final Pagan Generation: The Final Pagan Generation by Edward J. Watts - Paperback - University of California Press (ucpress.edu)

In The General Eclectic #11 Rod and Kale recap more of the Woke March, but pivot to a larger discussion about more field notes from the emergent Soft Totalitiarianism. Rod's book Live Not By Lies continues to sell well, though with a virtual legacy media blackout. They move on to discuss the necessity to be unafraid of being a Weird Christian and the siren call for Bougie Conformity. Towards the end, these two Gen X'ers break form and offer an earnest thanks and plea to the audience for prayers. Links: A military lawyer loses his job for an emoji tagged post about January 6: Is The US Military Being Purged Of Rightists? | The American Conservative Dr. Ibram X. Kendi tells us what real Christians are: Antiracist, Anti-Christian | The American Conservative A Live Not By Lies reading group in Massachusetts: MFI | Massachusetts Family Institute – Massachusetts Family Institute | Faith. Family. Freedom. (mafamily.org) Pastor Paul Vanderklay's podcast with Kale: (48) Christian Education: Between the Table and the T-shirt with Brett Salkeld and Kale Zelden - YouTube Live Not By Lies: Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents (eighthdaybooks.com)

In episode #11, we discuss the return of Jordan Peterson, both in the form of his new book Beyond Order (Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life: Peterson, Jordan B.: 9780593084649: Amazon.com: Books) but to the world of Podcasting. In particular, his episode with Jonathan Pageau: (43) The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast - Season 4 Episode 8: Jonathan Pageau - YouTube It is a must watch video, and we see Peterson coming to that frightening point where the narrative and objective world meet. We go on to discuss Rod's trip to Birmingham, and then Tucker Carlson's row with the woke military. Other links: "Gotcha Video": (43) Jordan Peterson debate on the gender pay gap, campus protests and postmodernism - YouTube Biblical Lectures: (43) Biblical Series I: Introduction to the Idea of God - YouTube Tactical Faith: Celebrating 10 Years! - Tactical Faith Rod's Substack: Daily Dreher (substack.com)

In #10 Rod and Kale discuss the normalization of cultural nihilism and the capture of the modes of production. We discuss: -The California Enshrinement of Throuples: The Whale And The Net | The American Conservative -The capture of the Civil Rights movement and Justice Kennedy's infamous establishment on personal definition of destiny -Christopher Caldwell's The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties: Caldwell, Christopher: 9781501106897: Amazon.com: Books -E.J. Dionne's claim that Biden has rolled back the culture war: Opinion | Biden is rolling back the culture war. The country should thank him. - The Washington Post -Pillar discussion about +Wuerl, +Gregory, and +Tobin and the ongoing rot of church corruption: The Pillar (pillarcatholic.com) (a no-brainer sub) -Bari Weiss's Woke Cult comes to your favorite Prep Schools: The Miseducation of America's Elites | City Journal (city-journal.org)

In this episode we talk about the continued "long march through the institutions" of all things woke and the looming specter of Gramsci. They discuss Wokeness as a neo-religion, and the frustrations of its relentless advance. They go on to discuss the regular and consistent mis-reading of Rod's The Benedict Option, and the announcement of a new "intentional community," and Kale's misgivings.

Welcome to The General Eclectic, a new podcast from The American Conservative featuring Rod Dreher, hosted by Kale Zelden