pantsless Pagans
Folkish Asatru says stupid things, film at 11. Otherwise known as oh dear god, why did I read the comments?
We've got feminism is all about special rights and women afraid of being treated like men, people proud to be white, omg European people are so threatened and white pride is just like black pride, the head of the Asatru Folk Alliance saying how non-racist he is but is completely unwilling to answer people debunking him, racist Pagans *don't exist* (love that one), it's easy to find and avoid racism in Paganism, and on and on. And a POC who notes that she's both Scots/German and African descended, and does she not have the right to call upon the Celtic gods of her heritage? (AFA guy won't answer that either.) I'd like these people to answer this: who's closer to the Gods of their heritage, a POC who was born and raised in Scandinavia, or me, a third-generation American whose grandparents fiercely believed in assimilation to the point of trying to avoid practicing any traditions from Europe that they might have inherited when their parents immigrated? The logic behind folkishness is just functionally silly.
All in the name of Pagans standing united for our rights to worship freely. I'm thinking that's a great sentiment, but I care just as much that someone is a decent frakking human being as I do that they're also a Pagan human being. We have a duty to educate ourselves about privilege and repudiate this kind of racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist bullshit that's pushing people who don't experience these privileges (particularly POC) out of Paganism. Until we can face up to that, I just think this Pagan alliance thing is... IDK, phony? Pointless? I mean, Christian privilege is a reality too, and oppression of non-Christian religions is real, but we're not doing ourselves any favors by talking up equality and being so unwilling to practice it. And I really love McNally's utter cheek in equating himself to a NA activist.
We've got feminism is all about special rights and women afraid of being treated like men, people proud to be white, omg European people are so threatened and white pride is just like black pride, the head of the Asatru Folk Alliance saying how non-racist he is but is completely unwilling to answer people debunking him, racist Pagans *don't exist* (love that one), it's easy to find and avoid racism in Paganism, and on and on. And a POC who notes that she's both Scots/German and African descended, and does she not have the right to call upon the Celtic gods of her heritage? (AFA guy won't answer that either.) I'd like these people to answer this: who's closer to the Gods of their heritage, a POC who was born and raised in Scandinavia, or me, a third-generation American whose grandparents fiercely believed in assimilation to the point of trying to avoid practicing any traditions from Europe that they might have inherited when their parents immigrated? The logic behind folkishness is just functionally silly.
All in the name of Pagans standing united for our rights to worship freely. I'm thinking that's a great sentiment, but I care just as much that someone is a decent frakking human being as I do that they're also a Pagan human being. We have a duty to educate ourselves about privilege and repudiate this kind of racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist bullshit that's pushing people who don't experience these privileges (particularly POC) out of Paganism. Until we can face up to that, I just think this Pagan alliance thing is... IDK, phony? Pointless? I mean, Christian privilege is a reality too, and oppression of non-Christian religions is real, but we're not doing ourselves any favors by talking up equality and being so unwilling to practice it. And I really love McNally's utter cheek in equating himself to a NA activist.