Okay, so I can’t take credit for coming up with this. I don’t even have a twitter so I don’t normally get into the #thing but this one I gotta go with. It’s thanks to the guys as Cheshire Cat Studios and their latest episode: Professional Victimhood and Yellow Gaming Journalism

 

Now, what does a video game podcast have to do with the Pagan/Heathen community? Well, if you watch it you’ll realize that something very similar has been happening in the Pagan community for a rather long time. I’ve commented before about how many Pagans will make their religion out of their politics, namely “Social Justice” and approach everything through that lens, rather than any lens that would seem to have divine influence in it. But even larger than that, is a growing intolerance for discussion of ideas that are different from other peoples. This too is something I have talked about before.

I’ve talked about lore hounds, if not here than in other places. I even ran into a discussion of people using a certain title as seidr workers which someone thought should be reserved for “women of grandmotherly age” and complaining that younger women and some men were using that title. I threw out that in Scandinavia (or at least Sweden, Norway, and Iceland) the vast majority of “Witches” and practitioners had been men according to trial records, was called off as another man swinging his dick and that men weren’t the only driving force, and how old was I to even talk about this? Those same women then turned around and started a discussion talking about (ie making fun of) all the foofoo and “new age” stuff they didn’t like.

Things like “with magic come responsibility” and similar statements…none of which are exactly wrong but demand one approach magic with respect and duty, rather than running around as you please. Which you think “crones” would be all about.

There is a growing intolerance for discussion of different views. Actually, strike that. We’ve passed that point. We’re now to the point where there is a violent suppression of differing views. Gaming, politics, religion, if you don’t have the right view, the progressive view, or whichever view…you need to go.

God is dead, said Nietzsche, and in his place man is seeking to replace him. We are in the age of #Messiah.