I’ve read a whole lot the past couple days all about the turmoil that is hitting the pagan community.
I don’t know, maybe I am just way too disconnected from the ‘pagan community’ as a whole. – Something I do not like to refer to anyway, as I don’t believe there is one so called, all encompassing pagan community, because there are just way too man pagans to umbrella into one fucking community – but whatever.
Especially when ‘pagan community’ really means wiccan community – or vague pagan beliefs that are wicca-related.
BUT. that is not my rant for the day. Today’s rant is about the tragedy of Kenny Klein.
I’ll be honest – I had to google who the hell he even was. Which is pretty sad, because for such a pronounced member of the community – so everyone is saying – I should have at least heard of him before now. I hadn’t. Not even through HuffPost, which I read……way too much. Still, have -never- heard of him.
My question is. WHY. Why is this a tragedy to the pagan community? Why does this have to involve the pagan community at all? A sick man was arrested, a sick man was arrested who also happened to be a photographer- which his hobby / indy career as a photographer was far more relevant to the arrest than his pagan association. So why, at the most, was it not a tragedy to the photography community if anything ?? Or why not to the Huff? OR Llewellyn?? Why does it have to be a pagan issue? anything could have made sense, but that’s not what everyone is going on and on about. Nope. It’s alllllll about how he’s a pagan. And then the explosive back-lash of “how to be safe in the community”. Article after article detailing predators in pagan circles or covens, and how to protect yourself.
WHY
dear gods above why.
what the fuck.
Why does it have to be specifically categorized out as a special threat to the pagan community? Why is it an ‘extra’ precaution being taken to pagans? Everyone blasting that boundaries are important and that abuse is not ok no matter where the setting – if that is true, then why do we need to come outright and say that blatantly? If abuse is not ok, then we shouldn’t have to tell people that it’s not ok.
Why can it not simply be “there are fucked up people out there – be careful no matter where you are”
There could be a predator at your child’s school. There could be one living down the street form you. There could be one at the grocery store, at the mall, on the fucking bus. ANYWHERE. Why do we have to target ourselves as being singled out? This is NOT an issue of the pagan community, this is an issue no matter what your creed, religion, practices, background, what have you.
There have been dozens of serial killers, serial rapists, pedophiles and then some of all sorts of creeds – Especially christianity (just by statistical basis that christianity is still a majority) so every time one of these things happens is there an outcry in the christian society about the travesty that has affected their community??? No. Why? because people don’t view it as a “christian” issue that one person is demented. It’s a simple cut-and-dry issue of X man is fucking demented, end of story. So why is it different for us? why does this have to be turned into a pagan issue?
It is not.
There was a person, who had a hidden life, who turned out to have some serious mental issues. Who, on a side note, also happened to be pagan…..That is where it stops.
You are only making us look worse by turning it into an issue that it does not have to be.
If someone robs a store, are we going to turn to the fact that “gang violence” has become a community issue? No. You are purposely and unnecessarily associating yourself with something horrid. You keep on making a huge deal out of it, or making a point to raise awareness, then people WILL start to believe that this is something that is prevalent in our society, or stems from our beliefs, or that somewhere in some circle this is condoned.
Stop it.