IntenseDebate - AmericanTrikstr

14 years ago @ The Wild Hunt - A Few Quick Notes · 2 replies · +1 points

Being a big-time table top RPer and having played a lot of White Wolf games I'm always amused that V:tM is chosen as the one that turns people into killers. (I know why from a sociological POV, this is more from a geek POV :) ) If there is any RPG that would turn people into killers it would be Werewolf.

Vampire: The humans are numerous. We must hide in the shadow, unseen among the flock. Misdirection and subterfuge are our greatest tool.

Werewolf: See something you don't like? Smash it until it stops moving. While you're at it smash the car, the street lamp, that mail box over there, the police that are showing up to the scene of the crime, the SWAT team that shows up after that...

14 years ago @ The Wild Hunt - A Few Quick Notes · 0 replies · +2 points

We got a whole bunch of whackos in this country who believe that the End of Days is upon us, paranoid that athiests, Muslims, and other non-Christians are going to force people to have abortions and get gay married. They also stockpile weapons (some of which are illegally modified or just plain illegal), think our President is the anti-Christ, and who constantly chant the mantra "the tree of liberty, from time to time, must be watered with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

And yet people are worried about the girl who wears all black and has a copy of "Twilight" in her bookbag.

Someone from group number 1 is considered a patriot. Someone from group number 2 is considered a timebomb waiting to explode. Makes perfect sense.

14 years ago @ The Wild Hunt - A Few Quick Notes · 0 replies · +1 points

The only people whose belief against animal sacrifice I respect are vegans because they are at least not hypocritical. Problem is they have a tendency to be self-righteous and extreme in their POV (think PETA) which quickly overshadows this respect I have, so I end up disliking them for different reasons.

The South African topic is rather interesting and I find myself leaning towards the side of Mr. Williams. While I understand the desire of many Wiccans/witches to "reclaim" the word a certain amount of pragmatism is required, especially in a circumstance like what we are seeing in South Africa. Yes I know it's not right and it's kind of silly that such a label could bring about such hostility but simply "reclaiming" a word isn't going to have any real effect, particularly among a part of society that views "witch" and "witchcraft" with such negative connotations.

True cultural and social change takes time, often over the course of several generations. America pagans, when compared to the rest of the world, probably have it better off than most to be honest and look at the shiat we deal with. If the situation in South Africa truly is that much more dire simply "reclaiming" a word won't have any real effect.

14 years ago @ The Wild Hunt - Why is Robert Wright W... · 2 replies · +1 points

Any critical body of work that has no fewer than two disclaimer paragraphs is bound to be crap as this article proves. Likewise when he's going through the list of issues with shamanism his little "most of" asides were the most weak-ass attempts to deflect criticism I have seen in a long time. "B-b-b-b-but I wrote "most of" when I was critical of shamans being in it for sex! So, you know, I don't think ALL of the shamans are a bunch of drug-crazed sex-fiend charlatans, just the majority of them."

Oh, how thoughtful of you. Kiss my ass Wright.

Meh, I'm just bitter and grumpy right now. I'm unemployed and yet this guy gets paid to write a passive-aggressive attack on shamanism and, by some flimsy connection that only the ignorant would believe, neo-shamanism.

14 years ago @ The Wild Hunt - Does Jan Brewer Care A... · 0 replies · +1 points

I'm not expecting there to be real equal rights though, and religion doesn't have a place in certain courses, in particular science which I think this bill is aiming to undermind. School board and teachers reject creationism being taught in class? Sign in a bill like this and use the threat of being sued.

14 years ago @ The Wild Hunt - Does Jan Brewer Care A... · 1 reply · +1 points

As for students' rights...afraid you're wrong there Bjorn. SCOTUS has ruled, a couple of times at least, that students have limited free speech rights on school property. Here, copy 'n' paste 'cause I dont' remember the html code at the moment for a direct link.

http://www.aclu.org/scotus/2006term/morsev.freder...

This references the "Bong hits 4 Jesus" one, but there have been previous rulings that tended to side with the school before the student. Would try to hunt one down, but I can't do a Google search on SCOTUS without getting 50 million pages about how having Sotomayor on the bench will bring about the apocalypse or some such nonsense.

14 years ago @ The Wild Hunt - Does Jan Brewer Care A... · 2 replies · +1 points

I share the same concern that may do that this is more about creating a "tyranny of a majority". Now clothing and praying I don't mind, so long as they aren't disrupting the classroom environment. However the "religious themes in classwork" needs heavy, heavy scrutiny because you just know that was placed in there to get creationist BS inserted into science classrooms.

Believe what you will about the creation of the world, but unless it can stand up against scientific methods it has no place in the classroom. The "evolution vs creationism" debate should be allowed...in the sociology or social studies class. Not science. We don't need Christians submitting unprovable theories based on Genisis anymore than we need Heathens submitting theories that the sky is made out of Ymir's skull.

14 years ago @ The Wild Hunt - Those Dark Rituals We ... · 0 replies · +3 points

Despite all the crap that gets thrown towards Wiccans, Heathens, and the other assorated European-based pagan religions, we don't get it nearly as bad as the Santerians, Palos, etc.

My opinion? It's because they tend to be made up of dark skinned immigrants whose first language isn't English, or decedents of such.

Many people whose blood is traced back to south of the border already gets enough crap for being blamed for the loss of jobs to crime. Throw in "strange religious beliefs" and they suffer a one-two punch of xenophobia and ignorance. It gets magnified further from good ol' basic racism.

The ignorance would be far more amusing if it didn't lead to the results listed above. I mean they try to make Santerias out to be some sort of cult from a Lovecraft novel.

14 years ago @ The Wild Hunt - Pope Criticizes Pagani... · 0 replies · +2 points

So here's a quick, fun activity for everyone.

Go to Google, Google up a pic of ol' Pope Ratz, then Google up a pic of Emperor Palpatine from "Star Wars" and compare the two.

It's a little freaky...

14 years ago @ The Wild Hunt - The Pagan Heart of Russia · 0 replies · +1 points

Oh take the stick out of your ass and lighten up.

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