Monday, February 18, 2013

My response to the Fox News / Pagan piece




*sigh* First off, I can't believe this is a real news piece. I was thinking it's more like SNL or something. They are so disrespectful and ignorant. I typed out my thoughts as the video played.

-The exact numbers of Wiccans / Pagans is unknown because many of us keep our beliefs to ourselves. I'm no expert or journalist but I'd bet there are at least the same amount of Pagans as followers of Zoroastrianism. Note that Wicca is a type of Pagan religion just like Catholic is a type of Christian religion.

-U of Missouri was doing a GOOD thing by including Pagan holidays on their already existing interfaith calendar. Did Fox News do a piece when this calendar first came out?

-"The bad thing about Wiccanism is that it's obviously full of witchcraft." Ok, there's no such thing as Wiccanism and not all Wiccans practice witchcraft. Most importantly, it's the journalist's opinion that witchcraft is bad.

-"you get a ton of holidays". I believe there were only 8 holidays for Wicca/Pagan in the calendar. I will try to confirm this for myself. However, not all Pagans / Wiccans even celebrate everything. For example Kemetics and Astaru follow completely different calendars than Wiccans.

-From Tammy Bruce - She's thinks Pagans are being used. What??? We are thanking the University for including us in the calendar.

-"If you're gonna pick one [a specific religion, I guess], pick one with the most holidays." I don't know about you, but I didn't just pick to be Pagan. I grew up Christian and after doing my own research, I came home. Many Pagans who converted will tell you the same thing, that they finally found a path that they are happy with.

-"Any religion whose most sacred day is Halloween, I just can't take seriously..Call me a bigot." Well you don't have to. But the Constitution protects our religion just like it protects yours. And for your education, Halloween is the bastardization of Samhaim, a holiday for paying respects to our ancestors. Speaking for myself, Samhain is not the most sacred day in my path. My birthday is.

-"How many Wiccans can name every Wiccan holiday?" Can all Catholics name all the Catholic holidays? Can all Jews name all the Jewish holidays? Can all Muslims name all the Muslim holidays?

-"I don't know a single Wiccan." You probably do, and just don't know it.

-'Every Wiccan I've ever known plays D&D or is middle-age woman who is a midwife..'You don't get around much, eh? And then you are going to bash on midwivery?

I can't help feeling that this piece was done to incite a riot, as it were. This can't be journalism.



2 comments:

  1. Here's part of your problem: assuming that this is a "real" news story. FOX News, aka Faux News, is generally accepted to be the propaganda wing of the radical right in the US. (Except by actual members of said radical right, who consider it the only impartial news on the air.)

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