Our favorite e-zine, Boundless, recently posted an article explaining the concept of a "crunchy con" while reviewing the book, Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher. I have heard this term before and thought it fitting, but this article and book finally explain the term fully - and gives many in our generation a "name"!! I will share some excerpts...it's worth the read!!
Selected excerpts from
Crunchy Meets Conservative by Candice Z. Watters:
Have you ever felt a little out of place in the political party you've voted for? Do the bumper stickers on your car look out of place in the Whole Foods or Trader Joes parking lot?
I've felt this disconnect at times, but I couldn't quite put my finger on the reason. As I flipped through the first chapters of Crunchy Cons, however, I found myself in the pages and realized with delight and relief, that I'm not alone.
One of the results of a postmodern culture is the blurring of lines between once distinct social groups. Six years ago David Brooks introduced the term "bobo" to explain how some people found a way to blend the once polar opposite lifestyles of bourgeois and bohemian. (Think of Ben and Jerry wearing their tie-dyed shirts in their multi-million dollar corporate ice cream headquarters or the suit and tie banker sipping lattes and doing yoga during his lunch hour).
Now meet the latest blend: crunchy cons. While it may sound like a cereal for kids, crunchy cons are actually a vibrant group emerging out of the cultural landscape. Rod Dreher, a writer at the Dallas Morning News (formerly with National Review) coined that term to describe people who are living the crunchy lifestyles often associated with liberal Democrats but within a framework out of which the modern Republican party was built.
The lengthy subtitle of Dreher's Crunchy Cons book says it best, "...Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives..." Crunchy cons are people who are seeking meaningful lives, not just financially profitable and consumptive ones. Dreher believes that their meaning is found in lives built on faith and family.
Though his book is not overtly Christian, Dreher, an Orthodox believer, points to the foundation of faith for crunchy con values — a compass more reliable than the Dow Jones. "Too often, the Democrats act like the Party of Lust, and the Republicans the Party of Greed," says Dreher, "Both are deadly sins that eat at the soul, and crunchy cons believe that both must be resisted in our personal and communal lives."
When it comes to family, Dreher agrees with Kirk's assessment that it's the institution "most essential to conserve." He shares Kirk's observation that "the best way to rear up a new generation of the Permanent Things is to beget children, and read to them o' evenings, and teach them what is worthy of praise" adding "the wise parent is the conservator of ancient truths."
Those principles, after all, seemed most consistent with Dreher's emphasis on the impact of "small platoons" of families living out conservative values instead of taking the approach of some movements seeking social change through top-down programs imposed by government.
Crunchy conservatism is not, in Dreher's words, "a political program; it's a sensibility, an attitude, a fundamental stance toward reality, and a pretty good road map to a rich, responsible, fulfilling, charitable, and above all joyful life."
The crunchy con lifestyle that emerges from this book is truly countercultural. It goes against the things America is known for (and teaches us to love): fast food, stuff marts, mass public education, McMansions in the suburbs, and more. I think the philosophy behind this movement will resonate with a generation alienated by the emptiness of hyper-consumer culture. One longing for the meaning that comes from living faithfully by the "Permanent Things." (Emphasis mine)
Love it! :)
Now, someday when we move out to a farm and homeschool our children, no one will be surprised! :)
The cinder blocks behind me in the picture made up Steve's fire pit - it was a semi-circle to enclose heat and keep him and his friends warm when they slept outside! He spent much time clearing a path and landing near the creek for a camp site, which obviously is now overgrown - but still really cool! Way to go engineer Steve!
And, as if we hadn't eaten enough, on Friday night we went to the McMurrays' favorite Mexican restaurant, La Carretta!
