Again.

Why am I really, honestly, not surprised?

Pardon the language.  This is a personal, non-academic, non-religious comment, a rare statement on something that I can’t even begin to wholly wrap my head around.  I apologize for the crass nature of this post, truly.  I have done a lot to try to limit these kinds of responses.  But I can’t stand this any more.

A cadre of butthurt internet warriors (who cannot take criticism) have decided to forsake all measure of intelligent discourse and civility and launch an all out shit-fest attack on another facet of their supposed community.  Utilizing personal attacks, a bullying mentality, and (in some cases) spreading blatant misinformation/misinterpretation, they’re trying to silence a fairly vocal minority of the online Pagan/Polytheistic world.  Oh, and also the personal attacks.  Because that’s an intelligent thing to do.

I am not so deluded into believing that this is a larger issue than, maybe, two dozen writers.  Maybe.  Maybe some more, maybe some less.  We’re not that important, no matter what some of us might think.  As far as things go, this is a relatively small spat.  But it has the capacity to transition into a nasty spiral of shit-flinging that could afflict anyone who touches it with some kind of horrible Pagan meta-intestinal E.coli infection.  Especially once it gets into the shithouse that Tumblr is.  I’m sure it’s already there.

Now, there have been calls by the afflicted parties to go offline for the month of July, as a protest of the treatment of the Polytheistic mentality.  I understand it, I sort of support it, and – above all – I wish those who would do it well.

I will not be taking part in it.

Because I can’t stand bullies.

And that’s what all of the ardently non-Polytheistic Pagans are being in this whole ordeal.  They’re being school-yard bullies, justified by the fact that they feel entitled by a supposedly superior ideology.  The “Shut up, don’t talk, be pushed into obscurity” type of bullying that we all know very well.

Well, hot damn.  That sure sounds FUCKING familiar, doesn’t it?

I have heard (read) the term fundamentalist thrown around in response to a few members on the Polytheist side of this whole spat.  That so-and-so is a fundamentalist.  Because they don’t believe in the same way as others.

Yes.  Hard Polytheists are being called fundamentalists because they aren’t giving precedence in thought to the Archetypalist argument.  That they’re not willing to accept an ideological mentality from an outside source.  They’re expected to give credence to the Archetypalist or Humanist camp, above their own, because that’s somehow inherently more right than their Polytheist proclivities.

Effectively, it is, “Oh, you can be a Polytheist, but you really don’t believe that the Gods are real, right?  Right?!  The HELL is WRONG with you?”  Cue massive saber-rattling as the trumpets of internet war are sounded because someone has the gall to dispute you.

But the Polytheists are the fundamentalists?

I repeat: That sure sounds FUCKING familiar, doesn’t it?

There’s an internet phrase that’s been around forever.  Let me try to remember how it goes.

Oh yes.

Pagan/Polytheist Blogosphere?  You just went FULL RETARD.

NEVER GO FULL RETARD.

Grow the fuck up.

Stop running to your fucking clique of aggrandizing sycophants whenever someone disputes your opinion or viewpoint.  Stand on your own feet.

Stop being bullies.  Look at yourselves in the fucking mirror.  Are you doing yourself, are you doing your Gods, are you doing your ancestors proud?

You’re certainly doing your ideological Christian predecessors well, I can tell you that much right now.

I stick with the Pagan community because I don’t think we’re doing anyone any favors by fracturing into a million little sub-groups.  It means more work for people who are trying to get political agency if we’re all identified as wholly different groups.

But shit like this really tries my patience.

Grow.

Up.