Silly season "friends"


The press and Paganism

This is a brief political bit. Feel free to skip.

I already commented on the O'Donnell witchcraft thing. What I'd like to do here is point out is that sometimes publicity is not a good thing.

We're silly season fodder. And during the Halloween season, the press comes looking for "interesting" stories.

With a few exceptions, these people aren't your friends. Their looking for weirdness to sell their viewers/readers. They may say the right things and treat you nice to get the story, but when push comes to shove you're just the Monster of the Week. All non-mainstream faiths are, it's just that the word witchcraft is one of the hot buttons Christians conditioning stresses.

Thankfully not all Christians are like that.

With that being said, remember that just because witchcraft, Wicca, or Paganism is in the feature story today doesn't mean that we've finally achieved respect from the press. Headlines and articles don't equal respect. And our lives and ideas will be used as weapons to discredit someone else when the opportunity rises.

I said it before.

I can deal with someone opposing me because of my politics. I can deal with someone who attacks me because of my religious beliefs. I can deal with open hostility. I know where I stand with people like that.

They hate me or my actions for (insert reason here). Fine, that is their choice. Let's move onto the next bit. I'm willing to live and let live if they are.

But I don't like someone buttering me up because they need my support, only to drop me the first chance they get. I don't need sweet talk to distract me from the knife at my back. I don't need someone promising the world just so they can get a boost up.

<snip>

For people like this, you stop being an enemy only as long as you can deliver something they want. Unless you toe the line, you have no value in their eyes. And since you are not really human, they are not bound by their promises to you. Give them what they want and they will go away for a while. Don't give them anything, and they will try to find a way to take more from you without your consent.

Don't believe what they tell you. See what they've done in the past. If you are a silly season story today, you won't get respect from it tommorrow. Recognition yes, but never respect.

It comes down to that quote I love to use.

"Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself. The friction tends to arise when the two are not the same."

...

"Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it may. And outlive the bastards."
— Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

Thus endeth the sermon. Let's go find something good to talk about.

Posted: Thu - September 23, 2010 at 02:55 PM
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