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SundayStyle's avatar

Roy, I read your Twitter reply to Jeet Heer the other day, when Jeet asserted that Dreher is “guileless.” Of course I agree with your counterpoint that Dreher is a vicious grifter, although his trans/homophobia, racism, and misogyny aren’t an act but are very, very real. His grift is just his more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger plea that the world he wants is really the best alternative for the common good.

But then I sigh; and, with a piece of scripture,

Tell them that God bids us do good for evil:

And thus I clothe my naked villiany

With old odd ends stolen out of holy writ;

And seem a saint, when most I play the devil

Old Will knew a thing or two about pious grifters. These types have always been with us for as long as there has been religion.

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Ellis Weiner's avatar

Halloween is also the holiday in which we mock death. (I should know--it's my birthday! As well as that of John Keats AND John Candy.) And Dreher can't have that--he needs death in order to sell his religious claptrap. Without promise of eternal reward, who'd sign up for all that dreary (!) piety?

Meanwhile, I think we have a worthy successor to the snarky use of "this is the future liberals want," in "This is an aspect of the weird totalitarianism we are living through today…"

E.g., "Fucking McDonald's, man. They SAY they're going to bring back the McRib, and then they don't. This is an aspect of the weird totalitarianism we are living through today."

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