Fencing Bear at Prayer

What would you do if you found yourself inside a fairy tale? Three years and a few months ago, I wrote to Milo Yiannopoulos. “Dear Mr. Yiannopoulos,” I wrote. “I teach at the University of Chicago.” It was the most carefully crafted introduction I have ever composed. I knew people talked about him as MILO.  Breitbart  even used a special magenta font to highlight his articles on their site. But I wanted him to know that I was serious in my respect. And I wanted him to know that I was a professor—and where. Somehow, miraculously, I said the right thing to catch his attention. He wrote back immediately. The rest is history — and now it’s a book ! I have never enjoyed writing anything as much as I have enjoyed writing for and about Milo these past three years. It has been quite the adventure, challenging me in ways I had never dreamed it would, but not for a moment have I regretted taking the risk of becoming part of Milo’s story. Call him what you w...

To hear Milo talk about it, it is better than sex. “Taunting,” Milo says, “is the way men bond.” It is also the way that they establish hierarchy. Do you doubt me? Try joining Milo’s Telegram chat, and see how long you last before the boys make it clear who is who in the game. There are those who come in and demand to be made admins. There are those who think that the way to impress Milo is to insult me, his “mom.” There are those who play it safe and attack only each other. And there are the women, who play an entirely different game. A few of the women know how to play the boys’ game, but most women play as women for the attention of the men. The men humor them—or white knight for them—but the real game is getting Milo’s attention. Which is when the real fun begins. Not everyone survives it. I have been trying to figure out why. Just today, yet another of the men who had previously attracted Milo’s attention (B.T.=Before Telegram) posted a riposte to Milo’s s...

Every so often a message goes out on Milo’s Telegram channel , inviting newcomers to join his private chat. The most recent message promised justice: Judge Milo. The people are real. The cases are real. The rulings are final. Previous invitations have included offers of refreshments: Milo’s Sweet Teas. Our family of high-quality teas are made with natural ingredients. The only thing that makes Milo’s [tea] even more delicious is enjoying it with food! political action: Committee for the Re-election of the Faggot. Open to all God-fearing fag devotees.  educational programs: Scented Flaps. Welcome, freshmen! In Body Positivity 101, you’ll learn how being a corpulent ham planet is cool and healthy, and how the stench of putrefying flesh and moldy leftovers is just nature’s own seductive fragrance. Ask Prof. Yiannopoulos for his office hours.  and prayers for penance: Il Vaticano. Deus meus, ex toto corde paenitet me omnium meorum peccatorum, eaque detestor, quia p...

Would you like to learn to pray like a medieval Christian—but couldn’t afford the luxury hardcover edition? Wait no longer!  Mary and the Art of Prayer: The Hours of the Virgin in Medieval Christian Life and Thought  is now available in paperback as well as in hardcover and eTextbook editions. You can purchase on Amazon or directly through Columbia University Press . For a taste of the sweetness, read chapter 2 here ! Reviews This volume is a stunning accomplishment―beautifully written, scholarly, and inspiring. Using medieval sources, it gives a detailed presentation of how the man or woman of the late Middle Ages may have read a book of hours. The resonances and allusions of each word and image are teased out so that the modern reader is able to engage the ancient devotion from, as it were, the inside. Both secular scholars and theologians will find their work enriched by reading Mary and the Art of Prayer. It leads the reader into the world of late medieval religious pr...

John Lobell and I talked about what I teach, what Christianity has to do with Western civilization, how prayer works, whether Mary is a goddess, and how I came to be friends with Milo. Listen at  Visionaries ! For a complete list of my videos, radio, and podcast appearances, see Bear On Air .

A special treat from the archives for All Saints’ Day! Who wants to be a saint? What would you give to be a better person? I am sure you are all busy today working on your New Year’s resolutions, promising to make something of your life beyond watching cat videos on Buzzfeed and knitting pussy hats for your girlfriends. Kidding! No, I’m not. I’m sure you are! Maybe you are even promising yourself to follow MILO’s advice for how to get a  girlfriend :  Focus on making yourself irresistible. Which means work out, become successful, be funny, look good, have the world at your fingertips…. You need to focus on making yourself the best possible version of yourself that you could be…. Strive for nothing but your own colossal success, and you will find people just desperate to be around you, of both genders. Cue SJW outrage. You can see some of it even on MILO’s own YouTube channel.  “Fall in love with yourself, then find someone like you” — what ...