But neo-pagan solstice-celebration practices that include gift giving are... well, look, they're pretty much just appropriating the gift-giving bits from the wider-cultural (and in many cases for individual pagans, family-traditional) Christmas holidays.
Right. Because mostly, solstice is about lighting fires and drinking a lot. If you're "traditional".
Gift-giving around Mithras' birthday is NOT a neutral practice. It was invented by the dominant cultural group in most of the English-speaking world.
However, it's a nice one, which is the point of the whole exchange, I'm sure. It wasn't designed to pick on people or single them out or exclude them - though it comes out of the pervading majority cultural mileu. It was about making presents for your pals - whatever religion or fandom they belong to.
That said, it is important to acknowledge the origin of the practice and to do everything to make it inclusive and not exclusionary. And it seems the mods have done some things to address this, like having a two-week sign up. But perhaps more can be done.
But, seriously, posters anywhere who mock people because of their beliefs or culture are just SO WRONG. And ought to be smacked down.
no subject
But neo-pagan solstice-celebration practices that include gift giving are... well, look, they're pretty much just appropriating the gift-giving bits from the wider-cultural (and in many cases for individual pagans, family-traditional) Christmas holidays.
Right. Because mostly, solstice is about lighting fires and drinking a lot. If you're "traditional".
Gift-giving around Mithras' birthday is NOT a neutral practice. It was invented by the dominant cultural group in most of the English-speaking world.
However, it's a nice one, which is the point of the whole exchange, I'm sure. It wasn't designed to pick on people or single them out or exclude them - though it comes out of the pervading majority cultural mileu. It was about making presents for your pals - whatever religion or fandom they belong to.
That said, it is important to acknowledge the origin of the practice and to do everything to make it inclusive and not exclusionary. And it seems the mods have done some things to address this, like having a two-week sign up. But perhaps more can be done.
But, seriously, posters anywhere who mock people because of their beliefs or culture are just SO WRONG. And ought to be smacked down.
People are rightly upset and outraged.