So I figured, while I was making myself unpopular, I might as well go all the way and tackle something I’ve witnessed that really bothers me. Before I get into this, I will say that I do not think all cultural/religious practices are ‘right.’ I find some, like FGM, to be nothing short of heinous and barbaric. While I am glad to not live in a society where this is practiced I do hope that one day young women who face this kind of pressure are, eventually, relieved of it enough to make an educated decision when it comes to body modification rituals (Which I am not against).
But there comes a point where pagans become so high-minded, and full of ourselves, that we not only believe we practice an indigenous faith with more authentic reverence than the indigenous people who have practiced for thousands of years but that we can, somehow, enlighten them while being patronizingly disrespectful of their heritage and traditions and demanding they model themselves after our Western sensibilities.
The first time I encountered this was during a conversation with a young woman about cicatrization or ritual scarring. She not only railed against the practice as cruel (despite there being a few people in our diverse area she could have spoken to and from whom she could have learned the cultural or religious significance.) but she then went on to state that real pagans would never do such a thing since we believe in the law of “An it harm none.”
I’m going to leave the assumption that everyone follows the Wiccan Rede alone and focus on the core issue; this young woman believed her Western pagan worldview should apply to everyone who falls under the pagan umbrella. Whether they recognized themselves as pagan or not.
This included cultures, and people, she had never bothered to speak to or with. To see an eclectic polytheist voice how they are more in tune to the wills of a Hindu god/dess than the adherents that have followed the purest version of the pantheons’ religion for thousands of years is not only snort worthy, but insulting to the people who have actively participated out of religious fervor and devotion for generations.
It seems when some pagans encounter someone who is a bit more conservative than they are, or who isn’t nature worshiping, or who believes that animals are sacred enough for sacrifice, or who participate in flagellation, it’s no longer about acceptance or even tolerance.
That well meaning concern, that hipster/hippie mindset mixed with the residual fumes of movements that mainly excluded oppressed cultures (yes Feminism and Paganism I am looking at you) creates the same moldy, snotty, attitude that pushes many potentially great minds into the shadows; like the 14 year old I know who could probably give Epictetus a run for his money or the pagans, and occultists, I’ve come into contact with who have so much to offer but not enough honey for the flies hoping to stick them in a box.
I saw this the most in the response of a former classmate who explained why hijab made her feel safe and more respected here in the U.S. and I got to experience it myself when I wore it for a week. It wasn’t until I walked a few tiny steps in her shoes, asked some questions, and bared my own ignorance that I was able to learn from her. I had to look like a fool, like an ignorant American, but in the end I gained a better understanding of not only her culture, religious views, and even some of the logic behind it, but also learned that I enjoy a good bit of modesty myself.
But how far would I have gotten had I simply attempted to explain to her how she didn’t have to do that anymore because she’s in America? How enlightened would I look attempting to make an African woman understand how the beautiful facial scars she wears with pride are something to be ashamed of because I think they were inflicted inhumanely? And what difference would it make anyway? What would I have learned?
Better yet, what would I have missed out on learning?
What a wonderful, brilliant post. The attitudes and assumptions you critique hear have always irked me. THANK YOU
Powerful post and I agree with you. This kind of thing, this arrogance, is common enough to be entirely exasperating.
You know i’m with you on this. This is part of the cultural part of Paganism that I’m really struggling with right now.
I’m glad to know I am not the only one. In a way I almost feel like I’m airing “dirty laundry” but, honestly, that’s how things get done. I do the same thing when I’m moving in Pro-Black circles. Yes, I’m up for solidarity, but there does have to be a moment where one steps back and evaluates/cleans the lens they are viewing through.
I, personally, feel that this is just a Pagan expression of a Western syndrome. The “Missionary Impulse” (as one of my favorite history professors likes to call it) is what causes the US to sticks it’s nose in other country’s business (even when told by the people living there to butt out), it what makes people believe they have an inherent right to tell other people that their views are wrong, and it obviously is the cause of Fundamentist thinking (in all religions). It’s also what keeps an inclusive, supportive, tight knit Pagan community from forming. It’s important to write and speak about the infinite variety of ways Paganism can be expressed. Thanks!
I think you make a very good point here and I tried to avoid bringing the whole western mindset into the blog post because I wanted to try to keep things simple. But, in the end, it really is the mindset of our society. We have the best answers, we are the least cruel, we are the most liberal and we absolutely feel we are right to attempt to shoehorn other people, and cultures, into this even if they want nothing to do with our delicate sensibilities.
I can also agree with you when it comes to the pagan community being unable to form any kind of closed ranks. I don’t know many Muslims, Yoruba, or followers of Religio Romana/Hellenismos, that are trying to make their religion look “good” or “harmless” to mainstream America, when it seems as if some in the pagan community are demanding that kind of conformity. As if not practicing a sanitized white-light version of paganism takes away from our “image.”
And really, if it’s all about looks—how far do we hope to get?
I agree with Mandy that there is an inherent attitude in the west that we know better than everyone else and must tell them so any chance we can get. What you are describing happens to be the manifestation in paganism.
I personally have heard it many times and can’t stand it either. I can’t count the number of times I’ve bit my tongue when someone has said something a long those lines.
This is a very valuable blog post. It is indeed important to get over ourselves and look at things more clearly, and not with our Western sensibilities as being the summit of the be all and end all of “paganism” (a word I don’t like to use anyhow).
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