Pagan Pet Peeves

[thalassa]

You know you've got'em... And so do I.

In fact, I actually have a numbered list, so I'm sure that says something bad about me.

List your pet peeves here!

(and people, remember to be nice and don't take something someone else finds annoying personally---if someone is out of line, we have mods for that)

[Gleb]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

What do you mean by pet peeves, Thal? I think I missed the first thread about it.

[thalassa]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

Thalassa's Pagan Pet Peeve #47: Matron

This one has been talked about elsewhere on the forum, but since it annoys me a lot...its gonna be my first example in the thread. Seriously, it annoys me so bad. Its not a matron deity--its still a patron no matter what the gender is, or if you insist on gendering the word, patroness. Really. The feminine of patron is patroness, not matron. Patroness, as the dictionary will tell you, means a female patron or the wife of a male patron. Matron on the other hand simply means "married woman" and originates from the Latin matrona (same meaning), though in Old French matrone could take the meaning of patroness. Its 2015, not even the French speak Old French (though they may still use the word matrone). Either way, if you are an English speaker, you have a patron and a patroness.

In the Latin (where the word patron comes from) patron comes from the word patronus which means defender, protector, advocate, and former master of a freed slave. During the Middle Ages, this word shifted meaning a bit to someone that besows gift and/or favors and to include the idea of patron saints. During the 14th century the meaning shifted yet again to a person with wealth or power that supports institutions or individuals in the arts, etc. And in the 1600s it took on the additional meaning of "regular customer" (paraphrased from the Online Etymology Dictionary's entry on patron). Although, since a female patroness can just be a patron (why do females need special words to denote that they are female?), patron goddess sounds much better than patroness deity. Certainly, there may be some goddesses that don't mind being identified as a married woman, but there are so many more that would. Please, stop calling your patron goddess Athena or Artemis a wife.






Thalassa's Pagan Pet Peeve # 11: Muggle

(I admit, this is from my blog a while back)

There are many things in the various Pagan communities, IRL and online that I find annoying…but none is quite so annoying as the use of the word “muggle” to describe people that don’t practice magic and/or aren’t Pagan. If you are one of these people, you might want to skip this little rant, because I’m going to jump all over you and those of your ilk for a few paragraphs.

First off, if you actually use this word as a legitimate way to describe people that don't practice magic and/or aren't Pagan, I'm sorry, but you look like a smug, pretentious, and sanctimonious twit. If you find that offensive (because you didn’t take my advice to skip past here), good. Using a derogatory term for someone not in your in-group is offensive. And yes, the term is derogatory–otherwise, you’d just say “non-Pagan”, or better yet, call them what they self-define as–Christian, Muslim, atheist, etc. If you find yourself needing to turn to what is nothing short of a religious slur, it says more about you than the people you are talking about. Its not cute, and its not trendy. It is just as offensive and just as derogatory as calling someone a spic, a jap, or a mic. If you use this word not having thought about it,

Secondly, if you use this word to define other people in any environement outside of some sort of RPG or fandom, I can't take you seriously (and neither can most people I know). I loved the Harry Potter books, they were creative and engaging; the world that J. K. Rowling created is simply wonderful. I've reread them at least a dozen times and anticipate rereading them at least a dozen more (and even throwing some theme parties). But we don’t live in it. I don’t care how witchy you are IRL, you are no more a witch or wizard in the Harry Potter universe than the Dursleys are. Defining your non-Pagan or non-magical peers as “muggles”, as if you are something better, is hypocritical. In the real world, we are all just people. Religion is a choice, witchcraft and/or magic (which ever term you prefer) is a discipline (and art and a science, if you will)…it is not something you are *born* to, it is something anyone can learn (just like ice skating), and there is nothing wrong with choosing not to.

Third, (to be quite frank and tactless) it makes you look like a nut. I’m not afraid of doing nutty things, of being eccentric or even slightly dotty. In most cases, I’m proud of it, because the eccentric and nutty things I do are at least important, creative, and inspired. There is nothing important, creative, or inspired about calling your mom, your cousin, your neighbor, your teacher, your doctor, your bff a religious slur. When you do something that is both insulting and dotty you draw more and more negative attention to an already marginalized group that gets enough negative attention as it is. Some of us have to live, work, and raise our children undoing the damage users of this word (and worse, this attitude) have created.

Just say no to calling people “muggles”. Its not cute, it’s not clever, and its definitely not cool. Its rude and its othering.








Thalassa's Pet Peeve #35: Wiccanate

I don't have anything long to say about this...this one is just annoying... What a ridiculous affectation some people seem to have been taken with. W*I*C*C*A*N---ITS AN ADJECTIVE and A NOUN. GAH! While unimportant in a wider context, I will not hide the fact that I find this particular word to be incredibly obnoxious...and just plain bad

Friends don't let friends call Wiccan things Wiccanate!

[thalassa]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

What do you mean by pet peeves, Thal?

Things that people do that you don't like. Maybe you have a reason, maybe not...

Like some people hate when someone behind them drives really close to them, or when someone cracks their knuckles.

What are somethings you see Pagans doing that annoy the crud out of you?

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

The Matron / Patron thing is a big one for me.

On a more personal level what gets me is the Mother / Maiden / Crone as a trilogy union and trying to make it cross over into archaic practices such as Hekate / Selene (Luna) / Artemis (Diana) which applied to moon cycles or applying it to Hekate who is a true tri goddess in that she held dominion and control over Earth, Heaven and Water. Which also ties into the idea of Hekate being a crone which just drives me nuts.

[Gleb]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

Things that people do that you don't like. Maybe you have a reason, maybe not...

Like some people hate when someone behind them drives really close to them, or when someone cracks their knuckles.

What are somethings you see Pagans doing that annoy the crud out of you?

Oh thanks!
The examples you mentioned above made more sense to me when I read them. Never heard of using the term "muggle" before. Especially in the pagan community. Let's see... So far the only thing that annoys me the most, not only in the pagan community but in the religion world in general is people who... Want a proof of a higher power's existence but don't know what kind of proof they want.
The observant ones will understand. My proof for a higher power's existence is... Me. Just me. The fact I'm alive. Those who don't like it - it's their problem because they don't accept it as a proof.

[anunitu]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

Just Vegi types implying eating meat is a "Monster" thing to do..I am an Omnivore,and trust me if you do this to much,you may be part of my Steak tartar some time. I do not call you out cause all you eat is grass,so lets just call it a tie.

[Munin-Hugin]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

The muggle thing makes me want to punch a baby. For a while there, though, I had a habit of referring to non-Pagans (Abrahamics, specifically) as "once-borns" due to their lack of a belief in any sort of reincarnation. The vegi thing irks me as well, though it's not so much as a Pagan thing as it is a vegetarian/vegan thing, but it does tend to crop up quite a bit of Pagan circles.

I'd have to say that the "fluffy bunny" stuff drives me up a wall and makes me roll my eyes. "Come be a teen witch, it's cool, you can cast spells, and everything is sparkles and hugs!" Blech.

[Medusa]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

Blessed Be annoys me

Namaste annoys me even more

Love and Light makes me gag

Anyone starting an intro and somewhere in there are the words 'I come from a long line of (fill in whatever movie you are hooked on that makes you feel special)'

a long ass paragraph with nary a break in it. No. I ain't reading it.

Next?

[Kiesha'ra]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

Know-it-all's who say their way is the only way or right way. Be it meditation, tarot, scrying, ritual structure, blessings, offerings and the like.

Those to claim to be _____ generation of witch. Whoop-dee-frickin' doo.

People who get offended by seekers only asking about certain "secretive" beliefs and traditions as if they are the only people on the planet allowed this knowledge.

[DavidMcCann]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

Atheists. Some-one once defined them as people who can't conceive that the universe could contain anything superior to themselves. Then there are the ones who join religious forums just to be tiresome. I once told one in another place with over 1000 posts that he needed to get a life: I was the one the moderators smacked!

People with no sense of language. This, of course, covers the "matron" nonsense, the heathen who think that Frigg would be improved by a -a on the end, and the people who call themselves "kemetics" and talk about "Aset" and "Hether".

There's nothing like a good rant, is there?

[Juniper]

Except this thread isn't in the rant section. Also, we have many atheists on this board. Please refrain from making general blanket statements about any specific group of people. It's bad form and never well received.

[thalassa]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

I once told one in another place with over 1000 posts that he needed to get a life: I was the one the moderators smacked!

Because you were the one in the wrong...our response would have been the same.


This thread isn't about your pet peeves about atheists. Its your pet peeves about Pagans. And while there are Pagan atheists, and that might piss you off, there's ways to criticize without breaking forum rules.

[iris]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

You guys know the 'ultra spiritual' series on YouTube? He basically sums it all up for me and he's funny while doing it. People who think that any form of spirituality/lack of it makes them better than others. Competitive spiritualism. That's my biggest pet peeve.

https://youtu.be/1kDso5ElFRg

[Medusa]

Re: Pagan Pet Peeves

Atheists. Some-one once defined them as people who can't conceive that the universe could contain anything superior to themselves. Then there are the ones who join religious forums just to be tiresome.

Ug those get on my dang nerves. How dare they actually question the universe and how it's made up.


Anywho. I hate and I do mean Hate with a capital T 'Left handed path' websites that are from Angel Fire and are all in black and red. I can't read that text! And they usually have a spinning pentagram from clip art too.

I also dislike when Satanists say 'Hail Satan' as their goodbyes on forums. No one actually says that. Imagine me going around saying that all day to my customers. It's silly. Staaahp it.