PaganCentric

A friend sent me a home-made DVD of a Lifetime movie she’d recorded in 2006 titled Not Like Everyone Else. The movie was based on a true story of events that happened to a girl in Oklahoma named Brandi Blackbear in 1999-2000. I was surprised to get this movie. I’d missed the story the first time around (I was fifteen and in Hell… give me a break). Actually, I vaguely remembered the story, but somehow missed some of the details. I hadn’t thought a thing about it since.

Rather than write a review of the movie, I’ll simply copy some text from Wikipedia which sums it, and the issue that is based upon, rather well.

Shortly after the Columbine High School massacre, Union Intermediate High School (in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma) was one of many schools around the country increasing security measures to prevent school shootings. Brandi Blackbear wrote horror stories similar to those of Stephen King, dressed in a slightly Goth-like way, and was not afraid to be herself, or to stand up to bullying by popular kids. Her defiance engendered hostility toward her from certain segments of her school’s culture. False stories of threats of violence were circulated, and the combination of her writing and authorities’ natural hyper-awareness following Columbine led to her being suspended. When some of her fellow students later saw her checking out a book on world religions, including Wicca (as research for her stories), they immediately branded her a witch, and eventually accused her of casting a spell that made a teacher sick. Fear of her spread through much of the school, and she was once again suspended.

Finally, her parents went to the ACLU, where they were told they had a good case against the school for violating her civil rights. The ACLU sued the affluent school for $10 million, even though the Blackbears were not sure they deserved that much based on what Brandi had suffered. Still, the ACLU argued that the school would not take any lesser claim seriously. When the school offered a settlement, the Blackbears refused. They were not interested in the money, despite needing it; what they really wanted was to have their story heard in court to inform the public that the school had mistreated Brandi. The judge ruled to dismiss the charges rather than going to trial, and ordered the Blackbears to pay $6000 in court fees, which they could not afford. Eventually it was agreed to drop the fees if the Blackbears dropped their appeal.

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Tags: Discrimination

There was a new story in my inbox this morning about a nutjob in Iowa who killed his two step-daughters. My first thought was “why was I sent this?” Then I realized that this bottom-feeder, Lawrence Douglas Harris Sr., told police that he had not, in fact, killed the girls, but instead described what happened as a spell that “had gone bad”. The “witchcraft” part was the reason my filters kicked out the story. Harris spoke extensively to the investigator about witchcraft, saying he was trying to cast a spell to help his 13-year-old stepson straighten out his life, that the spell must have reversed, killing the girls and causing a fire in the family’s basement.

Oh, yeah. That happens to me all the time. Why, the last time I tried to cast a prosperity spell in the hopes of improving my financial fortunes, six people died just in my neighborhod, and it took the fire department a week to get the blazes under control downtown.

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A few folks have written me and asked why we (well, “I”) haven’t been posting more Wiccan news on the web site. There have also been some pointed reminders that we’re well into January and I’ve yet to post anything here in 2009.

Well, quite frankly, there hasn’t been much going on, whether that be in the larger Wiccan and Pagan communities, or more specific to the Asheville, NC area, or in the PaganCentric communty itself. PaganCentric seems to be enjoying yet another of its rebuilding phases, in which our Principles scatter and our members lose interest (yes, I know. It would probably work if I showed more interest myself, but I never volunteered to be a manifested goddess or anything, so you should understand my reluctance to explain all things). In the larger community, about the only Pagan related news I seem to hear of is the occasional inmate bitching about not being allowed eight hours to honor the Horned God and squaling about religious discrimination.

I promise I’ll get my head out of my job this year, and we’ll make a good go of PaganCentric. Many of you seem fascinated by the idea (though I don’t know why, with all the other Pagan organizations out there). So maybe, just maybe, we’ll actually get a lot more in the way of active content here on the web site during 2009. Also, I rather like the idea of using PaganCentric to stage more Pagan events in the area. The local community (Goddess knows I love you all) can be rather lame in that regard, focusing on coven-specific activities rather than thinking in the larger communal sense. My impression in 2008 was that the most high-profile Pagan events were not “Pagan” at all, but rather someone realizing they could make a quick buck by appealing to all the tree-huggers and “rock-worshippers” out there. Personally, I think Pagans should stop spending their hard-earned money at secular events that have been dressed up with Pagan trappings. But that’s just me, I guess.

Anyway, here, for your perusal, has been a few of my early 2009 ruminations. Make of them what you will. And if you’re so inclined, please write me to complain. I’m always amused by your opinions (please mark that as humor, as it was intented).