The Puyallup school district in Washington State has decided to [url=http://www.theksbwchannel.com/education/3839571/detail.htmlcancel school Halloween parties because of whining from Wiccans.
This kind of crap is stupid when Christians do it and it’s just as stupid when Wiccans do it.
A Halloween witch costume has fuck all to do with neopaganism or modern witchcraft. It’s not an insult. Its just kids having fun. Get over yourselves. My 5 year old girl already has her witch costume picked out. It has a broom and everything. Suck on that!
[size]I know that the majority of witches and neo-pagans on this board will find this complaint about Halloween just as stupid as I do so this rant is not directed at them any more than the anti-Halloween fundy rants are directed at all (or even most) Christians. It’s a small group of attention hounds trying to piss in everyone else’s Rice Krispies. I’m aware of that. I have nothing against Wiccans. I am irritated by fun killers.[/size]
I saw that posted on some of the groups I belong to. It’s just silly and all the pagans I’ve talked to or heard from at least are peeved. Sheesh, all it is is a candy grab and I’m pretty sure the kiddies know that the Halloween witches aren’t real.
And it’s in Puyallup, no less. If you’re not from around here, you don’t know about the city (probably can’t pronounce it, even), so let me say this to give you an idea of the regional culture: Puyallup is like a piece of rural Oklahoma transplanted into the middle of Oregon.
Washington is a weird state. And that this would happen in that city is just beyond bizarre.
I’d point out that Wiccan objections are just the third of three reasons the school district gave for their decision, but someone would just come along to point out that the first two exist every year without having had an effect until now, so are likely just proferred as a smoke screen. I’d point out the poor strategy involved in complaining about a Halloween stereotype when Wiccans have been denying, correctly, that the stereotype has anything whatever to do with their religion, but someone would come along to point out the illogic in looking for consistency where religiosity and feelings of persecution are involved. I’d point out that the long-term goals of religious groups, especially smaller, poorly understood ones out of the mainstream, are ill-served by attacks on free association and expression, but everyone would come along to accuse me of defending hate speech and this thread would turn into a zoo. I’d point out that the Wiccans might be missing a bet by trying to suppress the one occasion of the year on which the average person may be more amenable to learning about what “real witches” are all about, but someone would be along to remind me that education and tolerance are not advanced through the equivalent of a minstrel show. So I won’t. I’ll just say, Wiccans should be prepared for more tricks than treats this year.
This is absolutely ridiculous. I’ve never known a Wiccan who was offended by Halloween. It’s all about dressing up, having fun and getting lots of candy. When was the last time Halloween was associated with any religion? It’s just a fun holiday. There are enough groups trying to make it less fun. Besides, they are missing out on a golden opportunity to explain what Wicca is about. If we banned everything that might offend a group of people then the world would be dull and drab. Where’s the fun in that?
It’s the usual festive bullshit story, like being forced to call Christmas by another name.
It is invariably either a media misrepresentation, or more often a foolish attempt by somebody in a position of authority to make an ‘appropriate’ decision, without bothering to actually check any facts whatsoever, or consult anybody who would have any knowledge of the situation.
This makes me crazy. I was just going bonkers the other day because of how trick or treat has gone right down the fucking tubes. When I finally DO have a family one day, everything will be called “Generic Seasonal Holiday”, Dreidels, Nativity Scenes, Crucifixes, Santa, Easter Bunnies, Leprachauns, Menorahs, jack o’lanterns will be illegal. In an effort to bubble wrap the world and turn us all into unscarred, unoffended stepford citizens, instead of celebrating diversity, we’re homogenizing everyone.
I grew up really fundamentalist christian: We had Santa, We had the easter bunny, We had only one restriction for halloween, we couldn’t dress up as the devil. THAT’S it.
Guess what this teaches little kids? “religion takes away all your fun”.
The worst thing, of course, is that we Wiccans are going to be blamed collectively – wherever we are in the world – for the jackasses who asked for the holiday to be cancelled.
I suspect that for the next ten years, whenever I’m trying to defend my religion, I’m going to have to hear about Wiccans cancelling Halloween. Why? Because if anyone’s ever known a Wiccan who did anything remotely odd in connection with their religion, I have to hear about it.
Why are members of any minority invariably expected to be representative of the minority as a whole? Both as a Wiccan and as a gay man, I find myself being expected to defend or condemn the antics of people I’ve never heard of in places I’ve never been to.
(For the record I love Halloween. Always have. There is a connection between it at Samhain, of course, but it’s a tenuous one – Wicca draws for inspiration on the old Celtic festivals of which Halloween is a remnant)
See, this is the thing – I can’t tell if any actual Wiccans even asked that the celebrations be cancelled. All I could see was her assertion that “some Wiccans objected to the way witches were portrayed,” not that anyone was actually trying to get it shut down. And the Livejournal boards I’m on for pagans are running about 100% against this silly measure.
The whole thing makes no sense to me whatever. I mean, I’m Wiccan. What possible objection could I conceivably have to costumes and candy? If anything, I think on average we probably like costumes and candy more than the general run of mankind.
