Cultural Appropriation Gone Wild

Cultural appropriation is one of the buzzing new concepts flying around the neo-think crowd. Basically it is the disrespect of a culture by taking over key elements that define that culture almost always to the disrespect of the culture being appropriated. An excellent example is young white people running around acting like black people and in Paganism, acting like Native Americans to the point of sometimes even being so bold to instruct those of Native background or injecting themselves into Native ceremonies univited.

It is considered a bad thing.

Interestingly enough it is totally at odds with another neo-think axiom, that you are whatever you say you are and can totally ignore actual reality in the process and everyone else damn well better just accept that without question. Or you are a bigot, or transphobe or a cranky old lady........ (please note the agism and sexism in this last one.) “If someone tells me they are a woman, I accept that without question” sounds all wonderful and accepting and oh so liberal but the reality is some of those who claim to be women in male bodies are actually oversexed male asshats. I know, I took a bunch of them in over the years. Transsexuality is rare as hell. Those claiming to be transgendered are not.

This 'you are anything you claim to be' concept has now spread to Paganism. Every six months or so someone does a quick google search on the word and attempts to define it in non religious terms. Yes, in the original Latin it meant country folks but they always seem to miss that Julian, the last Pagan emperor of Rome, redefined in terms of non Abrahamic religions because up to that time we didn't actually need to coin a word for that until the christians tried to outlaw all religions but their own. Julian was a convert to the Cybeline religion from christianity. Paganism, from the mid fourth century CE on, has been defined in terms of religion. Despite the widespread modern confusion, it is not Wicca, a mid 20'th century invention of Gardner. The word has an actual meaning, a well defined one and a cultural one in terms of religious practice. I, myself, have been an actual practicing Pagan for more than fifty years. Along with others, I personally reclaimed the Cybeline religion and re introduced it to the world. That would be the religion of the Roman emperor who defined the word as understood by the rest of the world for 1600 freakin' years. I apparently got a bunch of atheist panties in a wad when I blogged about atheism is the opposite of Paganism. The most recent one of these asshats is the one that called me “cranky” and linked to that blog entry.

“I get to call myself a Pagan even if I do not believe in any Divine principles” is not an argument. It is not logic. It is an oxymoron, plain and simple and further, it is a direct cultural appropriation of Paganism from those of us who actually are Pagans. Athiests are no more entitled to this appropriation than some guy who ties a pink bow on his penis is an actual woman absent all the experiences that goes along with being a woman in today's world. Reality check time please. You do not have the right to redefine whole categories with clearly understood common meanings because you feel like it. That is the ultimate in disrespect on so damn many levels I lose count. That is the act of an ego out of control. It is sociopathy ultimately.

You neo-think children writing on Pathetic Pagan channel take note. You don't get to redefine the world or words based on your freakin' egos. Doing so makes actual communication impossible. Same for you Mark Green, you sexist asshole. Learn to respect your elders......that's one of the things actual Pagans are supposed to do you know.  I manifest into the real world actual things.  Reclaimed an ancient lost religion, reclaimed Pagan history regarding especially the transsexual priestesses of the ancient world, built the first Temple to Cybele in 1400 years, won a major legal battle for all Pagan religions, started the first Pagan owned and operated FM radio station in the US, reintroduced Pagan monasticism to the world and taken in more than forty people in need to get them back on their feet, mostly women.   

You write a blog.