Sky's Intervention, UU's Response, and Banning

I may have to hang this picture up on all the UU buildings...

I'm Really Getting Irritated

...but I guess I shouldn't try to post information about cultural appropriation, eh?

Under the cut: Facebook "conversation" about Cultural Appropriation with EarthSoul

Continuing the UU Conversations...

Well, I emailed the Reverend of the UU church. Here are the copy and pasted conversations thus far. Feedback about how I am handling the situation is always welcomed.

And goes on and on...

I support CAORANN.

Well, after three weeks of silence, I get a message from the UU Pagan group's organizer about a decision they reached about me, my actions, and the issue...at a meeting they knew I wouldn't be at. The conversation isn't done, but I want to post what I have so far have collected so I can show it to the Reverend of the UU church (reasons will be given at the end.)

And it continues...

Well, I got responses from my remarks on the Facebook group page.

Before I post the screenshots, I want to mention that I changed methods in how I screen-capped these conversations about half-way through the events. Typically, I block out names. As much as I'm for public scrutiny on people who have problematic opinions and practices, I do realize that employers and communities hold prejudices against non-Abrahamic religious beliefs that fall under the pagan umbrella. This Facebook group I am screen-capping is actually private for those reasons. So, I block out names for that reason.

However, green-blocked guy from all these chats is public about his beliefs. He legally changed his name to reflect these beliefs. So I think Kevin EarthSoul doesn't need this type of protection when he is willing to be public about his ideas, beliefs, and teachings. (This extends to his wife.)

And in fairness, I also unblocked my legal name (typically hidden with the purple blocks). My online life and offline life are so intermingled that it hardly needs to be a secret. I'm open about my spiritual beliefs too. So after I unblock his name, I also unblock mine. (Spoilers: my legal name is Marcella. "Allec" is my nickname backwards, "Cella.") And I also want to be under scrutiny for my actions. I am a white middle-class person. I am speaking as an ally, not as an oppressed person, in these conversations. Therefore, if I misspeak in any way please tell me.

UU Group and Cultural Appropriation Articles

(image source)

While on Tumblr, a person I follow posted a link to a really insightful article on cultural appropriation on Jezebel's website. The article is titled: "A Much-Needed Primer on Cultural Appropriation" by Katie J.M. Baker. I thought it had some really informative parts as well as helping people who want to wear Native-inspired clothing. (Hint: you should buy from Native Americans.) I reblogged it on Tumblr, linked it to my Facebook timeline, linked it to OPPSG (which needs to be changed over into PAGBAH, I think), linked it on Cross Quarterly's Facebook, and finally decided to also link it to the UU Facebook Group.

Which brings me to this: I haven't been removed from the Facebook group! Even though I have decided to stop attending monthly meet-ups, they haven't removed me from the Facebook group. I would like to go back to the monthly meet-ups once the current organizer steps down.

Anyway, after I posted that article from Jezebel, the guy declaring he should be able to use the word "Shaman"--whom I've dubbed MoonSpirit--decided to make another post after mine about his views on cultural appropriation:

(trigger warning: racism below, though thankfully no slurs.)

Goodbye to the UU Group (For Now)

xkcd: "Slippery Slope"

I think I've mentioned this before, but I don't like being an instigator for problems. But I am hopeful for resolution and hopeful that if I bring up a problem, others will acknowledge it for its problematic aspects. This...hasn't been the case so far in most of the pagan groups I've visited: (see here, here, and here.) I was hopeful with the UU group, though, but I've already had a couple of cringing moments. The remark made by the group organizer towards including Shamanism made my skin crawl. I decided to try to nip it in the bud before it even became a thing.

It didn't go so well. (Warning: Uncensored slur below. I'll give a warning again when the image comes up.)

White Clay, Oglala Sioux Tribe, and My Synopsis

picture credited to Native News Networks

Late last night, a friend posted this video on her Facebook wall accompanied only with, "I am appalled." With that in mind I braced myself, but after watching I was more curious than appalled. The video is not high quality (which is understandable given the circumstance it was filmed.) I couldn't make out most of the words, or what was even going on, other than a confrontation between two men. I had no sense of the context for the footage beyond the title.

So I did some research into articles and learned about the incident...

Update: Next Millennium Boycott and now Petition.

Just an update on the boycott article I posted a couple weeks ago.

My position still hasn't changed on how the store should conduct itself. While this is considerably an opinion of mine, I have started a petition to help the owners see that I am not the only one of this opinion.

Here are some remarks to the boycott and petition with my answer:

The Power of Belief

There is a quote I heard years ago that I never fully understood until recently. It's by Richard Dawkins, of all people. While I don't agree with a lot he says and some of his views, I do find some truth in this quote he made:

"By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out."

What could he mean by that? Well, I don't know what he meant, but let me tell you what it means to me in regards to paganism.