Don't Let the Very, Very Bad...
Patrick Deneen recently suggested on Facebook that people with a classical-Christian understanding of politics should today support the Republican Party, even though in many ways they are awful. "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good," he advised his Facebook friends.
However, I think we need a new maxim for cases like this: "Don't let the very, very bad be the friend of the very bad."
What is called for today is the Benedictine option, and not support for either of the rotting elephant or donkey carcasses.
However, I think we need a new maxim for cases like this: "Don't let the very, very bad be the friend of the very bad."
What is called for today is the Benedictine option, and not support for either of the rotting elephant or donkey carcasses.
"What is called for today is the Benedictine option..."
ReplyDeleteOh, wow! I never thought you'd say something like that.
(Not that I disagree... and actually, I think it's called the Benedict option, not Benedictine.)
"Oh, wow! I never thought you'd say something like that."
DeletePerchè?
"and actually, I think it's called the Benedict option, not Benedictine."
Oh, now I'm getting knocked because my grammar is better than Dreher's!
Oh, I get it, it's Italian... didn't know that. I was just going by what he called it & didn't realize there was 'grammar' to it.
DeleteI thought so because you have so often blunted people's criticism of our government (especially how you started sending your kids to public school and defended their quality). But more importantly, because you have repeatedly stressed the importance of participation in the drama of the political life a la Voegelin, and this...is sort of the opposite. I think he would characterize this attitude as 'alienation.'
But I can kind of see it -- your transition away from libertarianism is not so much "Viva la Revolucion!" to "OK guys, let's chill out a bit, mmmkay? And cool it with the ideology. It's not actually that bad..." as it is "Viva la Revolucion!" to "meh. I wash my hands of this crap. It's a waste of time. How about we grow some vegetables in the back yard? ...hey this is fun!"
The last sentence was a joke, btw.
Delete"Benedictine": That would be the usual adjective form. But I was just joking.
Delete"But more importantly, because you have repeatedly stressed the importance of participation in the drama of the political life a la Voegelin..."
Voegelin is actually one of the people formative in bringing me to this view! We are watching an old civilization decline, and we await the new one. In the meantime, my job is to chronicle the decline.
It seems like a cliche to call both sides crap. I'm of the opinion that there is indeed a better side, but it happens to be the Democrats (barring the idiots who have a love for luxury).
ReplyDeleteCliches exist because they are often true!
ReplyDeleteOr people like to use them because they sound good. I just have heard the saying so often in certain contexts in the past few years that I think most say it because they want to feel like they're taking an outside-the-box position.
DeleteI prefer the Cointreau option.
ReplyDelete