Daniel Rober
@profdanrober.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Catholic Studies at Sacred Heart University. Theology, Film, Music, Urbanism, Culture.
American Pope going to Turkey on Thanksgiving is pretty funny if you think about it.
Tomorrow I travel to #Türkiye and then to #Lebanon to visit the dear peoples of those countries, which are rich in history and spirituality. It will be an occasion to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the #CouncilOfNicaea and... 1/2
November 26, 2025 at 1:49 PM
American Pope going to Turkey on Thanksgiving is pretty funny if you think about it.
The former are often privately (even semi-publicly) horrified by the latter but have shown *no* indication of being willing to openly support the libs as a result.
This is two ways: the religious right is desperate to staunch and reverse this so their kids aren’t infected, and the post-religious right which Douthat himself has famously commented on has gone berserk because they have thrown off the constraints of Christian morality to go beyond good and evil.
November 26, 2025 at 5:56 AM
The former are often privately (even semi-publicly) horrified by the latter but have shown *no* indication of being willing to openly support the libs as a result.
What makes Taylor so good is he gets at all the profound meaning questions without providing open-and-shut conclusions. Dealing with these questions first of all requires depth.
Charles Taylor dealt with all the legitimate questions Ross is asking in a 2007 book (A Secular Age) that remains very compelling and has outlasted contemporaneous sociological literature on these points.
November 26, 2025 at 5:49 AM
What makes Taylor so good is he gets at all the profound meaning questions without providing open-and-shut conclusions. Dealing with these questions first of all requires depth.
Smith’s book has some flaws which some of the essays in Commonweal’a big symposium on it pointed out, but what it gets right is that perspectives like Douthat’s are drawing on basically anecdotal information and not accounting for huge cohort replacement issues.
From Douthat's latest: "I'm just saying, if you look at larger world conditions, there are reasons to think that we've kind of hit a certain limit on secularization and the decline of religion."
I'm surprised he hasn't read Christian Smith's latest book where Smith argues against this sort of thing
I'm surprised he hasn't read Christian Smith's latest book where Smith argues against this sort of thing
November 26, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Smith’s book has some flaws which some of the essays in Commonweal’a big symposium on it pointed out, but what it gets right is that perspectives like Douthat’s are drawing on basically anecdotal information and not accounting for huge cohort replacement issues.
Would only listen to an audiobook of this if it had the Geoffrey Burgon soundtrack from ‘80s miniseries.
It's Brideshead Revisited. I don't really know what it's about but so far it seems like maybe it's 500 Days of Summer but British, early 20th century, and gay
November 26, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Would only listen to an audiobook of this if it had the Geoffrey Burgon soundtrack from ‘80s miniseries.
This has gotten much much worse in the last decade or so much less compared to 80s-90s when I was growing up.
I also think the insane traffic in Nassau generated by being crunched between NYC and Suffolk sprawl may not be helping attitudes there.
November 26, 2025 at 2:22 AM
This has gotten much much worse in the last decade or so much less compared to 80s-90s when I was growing up.
Has that guy written this Substack yet? Has to at least be in drafts.
November 26, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Has that guy written this Substack yet? Has to at least be in drafts.
Godard totally conceded commercialism to Truffaut to just do his weird thing which alienated a lot of audience members. Almost a Lennon/McCartney thing going on there except Godard more ideologically committed.
I like some Godard, can’t stand some others, agree with him a lot, violently disagree elsewhere - the thing missing from Linklater’s NOUVELLE VAGUE for me was the sense he was NOT JOKING no matter what, he was a total son of a bitch in service of his art, a thing which is vital & in short supply
simple really 💅
November 26, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Godard totally conceded commercialism to Truffaut to just do his weird thing which alienated a lot of audience members. Almost a Lennon/McCartney thing going on there except Godard more ideologically committed.
I think the geography of LI where you’re trapped and have to go through congested NYC roads or airports to get anywhere contributes to the reactionary politics, along with the migration eastward of Archie Bunker Queens white ethnic working-class backlash/resentment.
I also think the insane traffic in Nassau generated by being crunched between NYC and Suffolk sprawl may not be helping attitudes there.
November 26, 2025 at 2:14 AM
I think the geography of LI where you’re trapped and have to go through congested NYC roads or airports to get anywhere contributes to the reactionary politics, along with the migration eastward of Archie Bunker Queens white ethnic working-class backlash/resentment.
Should’ve done it as a remote from a Gristedes on the UES.
Andrew Cuomo going on David Paterson's radio show on a station owned by John Catsimatidis to complain about losing the mayoral race by blaming Curtis Sliwa - who is this for? Who gets enjoyment or enrichment out of this? How sad is that person's life?
November 26, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Should’ve done it as a remote from a Gristedes on the UES.
She was a prophetess.
November 26, 2025 at 2:00 AM
She was a prophetess.
Fergus Kerr (RIP) did this much better.
Real diversity isn’t about race or gender, but ideas. Picture a rich array of everything from neo-Scholastic Thomists to existential Thomists, from transcendental Thomists to Lublin Thomists
November 26, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Fergus Kerr (RIP) did this much better.
I’m from there; it was getting bluer per other inner suburban patterns but I think post-2020 NYC backlash moveouts reversed that progress by glomming onto existing reactionary streak.
Nassau County was a Republican landslide up and down the ballot literally concurrently with Mikie Sherrill landsliding it so hard in suburban North Jersey that Democrats broke through in a bunch of places where they haven't been viable since Watergate, there's simply something wrong with them
November 26, 2025 at 1:47 AM
I’m from there; it was getting bluer per other inner suburban patterns but I think post-2020 NYC backlash moveouts reversed that progress by glomming onto existing reactionary streak.
Reposted by Daniel Rober
Things I hate about modern Online:
- link in bio
- comment RECIPE and I'll DM it to you
- link in comments
- text that pops up over a video or picture making it impossible to read the text or properly view the image
- no timestamps
- link in bio
- comment RECIPE and I'll DM it to you
- link in comments
- text that pops up over a video or picture making it impossible to read the text or properly view the image
- no timestamps
November 26, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Things I hate about modern Online:
- link in bio
- comment RECIPE and I'll DM it to you
- link in comments
- text that pops up over a video or picture making it impossible to read the text or properly view the image
- no timestamps
- link in bio
- comment RECIPE and I'll DM it to you
- link in comments
- text that pops up over a video or picture making it impossible to read the text or properly view the image
- no timestamps
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
"the president has directed the Department of Energy to launch an AI project called the genesis mission" sounds like something out of a technothriller
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Launching the Genesis Mission
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.
www.whitehouse.gov
November 25, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Kerr’s “After Aquinas” was the introduction to me as an undergrad of a lot of ideas I would later take up as a scholar.
Fergus Kerr OP passed away on Sunday. Learning about Wittgenstein from him was one of the highlights of my education
He wasn't just a fiercely brilliant philosopher and theologian, but also distinctive for his kindness. He was a real light in my academic sojourn. Rest in peace.
He wasn't just a fiercely brilliant philosopher and theologian, but also distinctive for his kindness. He was a real light in my academic sojourn. Rest in peace.
November 24, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Kerr’s “After Aquinas” was the introduction to me as an undergrad of a lot of ideas I would later take up as a scholar.
His boss is old-fashioned on this type of thing.
Really curious who this pull your pants up bullshit is even for. Who's the target audience for this or is he just crazy
Sean Duffy: "Dressing with respect -- whether it's a pair of jeans and a decent shirt, I would encourage people to maybe dress a little better which encourages us to maybe behave a little better. Let's try not to wear slippers and pajamas as we come to the airport."
November 24, 2025 at 8:00 PM
His boss is old-fashioned on this type of thing.
One critique of Francis that lands is that his personal style of managing close subordinates did not match the synodality he proposed for the larger institution. But I think he knew this about himself, and moreover Leo is very much a corrective to this specific issue.
Synodality forces hierarchy to be functional and accountable rather than authoritarian (what critics of Francis got exactly backward).
I heard someone say recently that synodality can't change that the church is hierarchical. I wanted to laugh.
Read LG. The church is both hierarchical and synodal. It cannot un-be either.
But we've overemphasized hierarchy so much for 1500yrs that every time someone says lets tend to this other...
Read LG. The church is both hierarchical and synodal. It cannot un-be either.
But we've overemphasized hierarchy so much for 1500yrs that every time someone says lets tend to this other...
November 24, 2025 at 3:23 PM
One critique of Francis that lands is that his personal style of managing close subordinates did not match the synodality he proposed for the larger institution. But I think he knew this about himself, and moreover Leo is very much a corrective to this specific issue.
Synodality forces hierarchy to be functional and accountable rather than authoritarian (what critics of Francis got exactly backward).
I heard someone say recently that synodality can't change that the church is hierarchical. I wanted to laugh.
Read LG. The church is both hierarchical and synodal. It cannot un-be either.
But we've overemphasized hierarchy so much for 1500yrs that every time someone says lets tend to this other...
Read LG. The church is both hierarchical and synodal. It cannot un-be either.
But we've overemphasized hierarchy so much for 1500yrs that every time someone says lets tend to this other...
November 24, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Synodality forces hierarchy to be functional and accountable rather than authoritarian (what critics of Francis got exactly backward).
Re-upping my Friday piece on the problem of influencer culture in U.S. Catholicism:
open.substack.com/pub/gorebuil...
open.substack.com/pub/gorebuil...
Deinfluencing American Catholicism
By Daniel A. Rober
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Re-upping my Friday piece on the problem of influencer culture in U.S. Catholicism:
open.substack.com/pub/gorebuil...
open.substack.com/pub/gorebuil...
Amsterdam/Paris/London figure a lot more prominently for those countries' average citizen than big cities do here, and those for whom city transit is important in U.S. have their vote watered down by EC/Senate/filibuster.
In a lot of other countries, national pride is invested in making metropole (often singular capital or a few big cities) look good and function effectively, here rural/exurban areas that hate/fear cities play on historical agrarian ideals.
November 22, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Amsterdam/Paris/London figure a lot more prominently for those countries' average citizen than big cities do here, and those for whom city transit is important in U.S. have their vote watered down by EC/Senate/filibuster.
Either that or "For Good"
good day for anyone doing a series of serious, longform investigative work to post a new installment and just label it "part 2 👀"
November 22, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Either that or "For Good"
U.S. transit is so bad for the same reason U.S. politics are so bad: lightly-populated areas with bad use case for transit are politically overrepresented and thus diminish the federal government's motivation/capacity to improve transit in the large metro areas.
If you believe US transit is so bad because of the auto lobby you have to believe that Hyundai is the most sauceless country in the world. They basically own a huge chunk of Korea but couldn’t prevent the country from having the highest transit use in the world
November 22, 2025 at 2:26 PM
U.S. transit is so bad for the same reason U.S. politics are so bad: lightly-populated areas with bad use case for transit are politically overrepresented and thus diminish the federal government's motivation/capacity to improve transit in the large metro areas.
Reposted by Daniel Rober
Kathy Hochul is living proof that, when shit starts to get real, even the most mid politician can learn to throw elbows if they care to
Hochul on Chris Hayes, about Stefanik: “She’s full of shit.”
November 22, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Kathy Hochul is living proof that, when shit starts to get real, even the most mid politician can learn to throw elbows if they care to
Reposted by Daniel Rober
in many ways trump and zohran are the glinda and elphaba of our timeline
November 22, 2025 at 3:40 AM
in many ways trump and zohran are the glinda and elphaba of our timeline