This, landing today is what I would proably consider to be within the neo-pagan notion of synchronicity.
I'm currently finding that there are a lot of attempts from within the neo-pagan 'culture' (if you can class it as that, I don't) to introduce various aspects of 'cancel culture'.
So, why do I consider this to have an element of synchronicity about it? Ten minutes before reading it I was presented with their latest attempt..... (copied from a social media post)
"A question around the the word 'folk'.
I've always used the word, especially as a teacher as it's a simple gender neutral term and inclusive without bias.
For those who used to watch my YouTube channel my intro was always 'Hi folks, Anders here' and I had no thought on it at all.
But apparently the word 'folk' is problematic amongst the pagan and heathen community as it's linked to right wing white extremism and with links to the party who shall not be named during WWII.
So, what are your thoughts, is it a problematic word or phrase to use?"
I'm now seeing responses on this post commenting with the like of "I didn't realise, thanks for educating me"
I'm now wondering what the hidden agenda could possibly be with a wish to cancel the word 'folk'?
You know, I intend to write about this sometime, but I actually helped start the "social justice pagan" movement in the United States. Granted, most of them all think I'm an evil right wing fascist, and the younger ones don't even know about my influence on their thinking.
I still say "folks" all the time, because I was born in Appalachia and that's what we said, and that's not going to change.
Have you read my essay about how "woke" cultural appropriation language is basically just the mirror image of right wing nationalism? It's an appendix to Being Pagan, but it's also online (https://abeautifulresistance.org/site/2021/6/03/plague-of-gods). You might find it helpful in dealing with future incidents...
I'm not about to stop using the word folk either Rhyd. I was born in a village in the UK, my grandmother was a 'village wise-woman' and we use the term in relation to what we call The 'Cunning Craft' - The practices & culture of the folk healers & wise folk (collectively known as the Cunning Folk); the folk-beliefs & folk-medicine of our ancestors of the British archipelago; the original Britons. It pops up a lot in my writing.
I'll take a look at your essay, thanks. We can all use whatever ammunition we can obtain.
Apparently it was 'triggered' (another bloody buzz word) by an article put out by the 'Pagan Police Federation' in the UK Rosie. I'm a practitioner of 'folk-medicine' in the UK and I, also, was totally oblivious to these 'goings on'.
At risk of being labelled 'a conspiracy theorist', I'm now questioning the motives of the UK police (again).
I'm swinging between - 'I don't want to live in a society like this' and 'yay, even more fuel for the writers'. I might have to look at joining you in the Antipodes.
I feel like we definitely ran across each other all those years ago for a reason. You are probably the only person I know who is a Leftist in a sense I can actually relate to, tho' I do swing slightly more right. Really enjoying the view inside your brain, Rhyd.
Also, I like to remind people that what's "left" in the United States looks a lot like centre - right politics in Europe, while what's Far Left here in Europe often has a lot in common with what people consider the right in the US (especially the libertarian/anti-government and anti-elite aspects).
I like the way you critique the 'woke' zeitgeist from a leftist perspective Rhyd. A left previously built on solidarity and redistribution of wealth which is being eroded and silenced by the politically correct identity based agenda we are all familiar with. This is happening when what the World urgently needs is a mainstream, left/ green politics open to all irrespective of gender, race, sexual identity and so on. Solidarity, nonetheless.
I've tried to call out (i,e, explain) this same situation in (heated) private conversation and perhaps have been 'cancelled' in a minor personal way as a result. So I am very glad this argument is now being defined by yourself and others (?) who can develop and clarify this position. I do think though, as a straight, white man, that the 'woke-ism' agenda (for want of a better name) can now only be 'called out' on political grounds by people who are themselves gay, bi, trans or whatever it may be. In other words, that it is 'permissible' to critique woke-ism on the grounds that it undermines the left rather than attacking the original and well intentioned ideas which led to woke-ism: tolerance, radical acceptance of difference, equality and so on. I think the nuance between the 2 lines of attack needs clearly spelling out. Primarily, perhaps, for those on the woke-left rather than the right wingers who will always attack progressive PC' ideas for the hell of it.
Yeah, if I were not a fag, I'd not be allowed to speak. Though even still, there's a lot of id-pol insanity about how gay men like me are the "real enemy" of progress. Here in Luxembourg, there was a protest attempting to make all the current organizers of pride step down because they were all "cis-" and turn it over to the "real" queers. Of course, none of those people demanding this ever even try to volunteer to organize anything, and if the lesbians and gays did step down, there'd be no Pride here.
And I'd add also that the trans and black critics of this "woke" turn aren't allowed to speak, either. A trans communist organizer I knew got smeared as a fascist for criticizing it, and black Marxist Adolph Reed has been constantly cancelled for his criticisms. So even having the "correct identity" doesn't protect anyone from this insanity.
Good grief - who is there to left to actually make a comment!
Ahh, now i see a role for AI.
I'd say i was 'only kidding' but perhaps we've reached a point where only a non-human is actually allowed to comment. That seems to be one logical conclusion.
And that reminds me of another thing, something I haven’t thought of for years. Starting when I was around 20 my best friend started calling me Pan - she was the only one that ever used that name for me, and it stuck for many years. Now I need to ponder on what that name meant for me, because there’s a real charge there for me in the remembering.
As another 46 year old leftist myself, it was refreshing to find your work several years ago. It's one of those liberating moments when you find a person that makes you realize, maybe it's not something wrong with you, maybe it's something wrong with the world. Not to say introspection is bad, but I grew up around New Agers and it's similar to what they call attached entities, the thought-forms we think are our own, but really aren't. I find the current fixation on identity to be something similar.
I appreciate your critiques of the id-pol zeitgeist from a leftist framework (which is otherwise pretty hard to find). I never thought of it like that, but I like your example of the French aristocracy right before the Revolution, and like the Ancien Régime, the whole thing is collapsing under its own weight.
This, landing today is what I would proably consider to be within the neo-pagan notion of synchronicity.
I'm currently finding that there are a lot of attempts from within the neo-pagan 'culture' (if you can class it as that, I don't) to introduce various aspects of 'cancel culture'.
So, why do I consider this to have an element of synchronicity about it? Ten minutes before reading it I was presented with their latest attempt..... (copied from a social media post)
"A question around the the word 'folk'.
I've always used the word, especially as a teacher as it's a simple gender neutral term and inclusive without bias.
For those who used to watch my YouTube channel my intro was always 'Hi folks, Anders here' and I had no thought on it at all.
But apparently the word 'folk' is problematic amongst the pagan and heathen community as it's linked to right wing white extremism and with links to the party who shall not be named during WWII.
So, what are your thoughts, is it a problematic word or phrase to use?"
I'm now seeing responses on this post commenting with the like of "I didn't realise, thanks for educating me"
I'm now wondering what the hidden agenda could possibly be with a wish to cancel the word 'folk'?
Maybe a further attempt to divide 'folk'?
You know, I intend to write about this sometime, but I actually helped start the "social justice pagan" movement in the United States. Granted, most of them all think I'm an evil right wing fascist, and the younger ones don't even know about my influence on their thinking.
I still say "folks" all the time, because I was born in Appalachia and that's what we said, and that's not going to change.
Have you read my essay about how "woke" cultural appropriation language is basically just the mirror image of right wing nationalism? It's an appendix to Being Pagan, but it's also online (https://abeautifulresistance.org/site/2021/6/03/plague-of-gods). You might find it helpful in dealing with future incidents...
I'm not about to stop using the word folk either Rhyd. I was born in a village in the UK, my grandmother was a 'village wise-woman' and we use the term in relation to what we call The 'Cunning Craft' - The practices & culture of the folk healers & wise folk (collectively known as the Cunning Folk); the folk-beliefs & folk-medicine of our ancestors of the British archipelago; the original Britons. It pops up a lot in my writing.
I'll take a look at your essay, thanks. We can all use whatever ammunition we can obtain.
Here's me, a folk-singer, until this moment totally unaware of this folk / woke controversy. We are somewhat sheltered in the Antipodes
Apparently it was 'triggered' (another bloody buzz word) by an article put out by the 'Pagan Police Federation' in the UK Rosie. I'm a practitioner of 'folk-medicine' in the UK and I, also, was totally oblivious to these 'goings on'.
At risk of being labelled 'a conspiracy theorist', I'm now questioning the motives of the UK police (again).
I'm swinging between - 'I don't want to live in a society like this' and 'yay, even more fuel for the writers'. I might have to look at joining you in the Antipodes.
I feel like we definitely ran across each other all those years ago for a reason. You are probably the only person I know who is a Leftist in a sense I can actually relate to, tho' I do swing slightly more right. Really enjoying the view inside your brain, Rhyd.
UGH WHY DO I NOT REMEMBER THIS? :)
Also, I like to remind people that what's "left" in the United States looks a lot like centre - right politics in Europe, while what's Far Left here in Europe often has a lot in common with what people consider the right in the US (especially the libertarian/anti-government and anti-elite aspects).
I like the way you critique the 'woke' zeitgeist from a leftist perspective Rhyd. A left previously built on solidarity and redistribution of wealth which is being eroded and silenced by the politically correct identity based agenda we are all familiar with. This is happening when what the World urgently needs is a mainstream, left/ green politics open to all irrespective of gender, race, sexual identity and so on. Solidarity, nonetheless.
I've tried to call out (i,e, explain) this same situation in (heated) private conversation and perhaps have been 'cancelled' in a minor personal way as a result. So I am very glad this argument is now being defined by yourself and others (?) who can develop and clarify this position. I do think though, as a straight, white man, that the 'woke-ism' agenda (for want of a better name) can now only be 'called out' on political grounds by people who are themselves gay, bi, trans or whatever it may be. In other words, that it is 'permissible' to critique woke-ism on the grounds that it undermines the left rather than attacking the original and well intentioned ideas which led to woke-ism: tolerance, radical acceptance of difference, equality and so on. I think the nuance between the 2 lines of attack needs clearly spelling out. Primarily, perhaps, for those on the woke-left rather than the right wingers who will always attack progressive PC' ideas for the hell of it.
Thanks again - keep it up.
Yeah, if I were not a fag, I'd not be allowed to speak. Though even still, there's a lot of id-pol insanity about how gay men like me are the "real enemy" of progress. Here in Luxembourg, there was a protest attempting to make all the current organizers of pride step down because they were all "cis-" and turn it over to the "real" queers. Of course, none of those people demanding this ever even try to volunteer to organize anything, and if the lesbians and gays did step down, there'd be no Pride here.
And I'd add also that the trans and black critics of this "woke" turn aren't allowed to speak, either. A trans communist organizer I knew got smeared as a fascist for criticizing it, and black Marxist Adolph Reed has been constantly cancelled for his criticisms. So even having the "correct identity" doesn't protect anyone from this insanity.
Good grief - who is there to left to actually make a comment!
Ahh, now i see a role for AI.
I'd say i was 'only kidding' but perhaps we've reached a point where only a non-human is actually allowed to comment. That seems to be one logical conclusion.
Thanks for the re-introduction Rhyd - I’ve picked up bits and pieces of your back story along the way, but it’s good to have a fuller picture now.
After I read this, this guy’s Substack popped up as a suggestion - I thought the part about names and how we hold them/relate to them was a nice bit of synchronicity.https://open.substack.com/pub/seanfhocail/p/becoming-the-dream-of-a-people?r=a9pfo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
And that reminds me of another thing, something I haven’t thought of for years. Starting when I was around 20 my best friend started calling me Pan - she was the only one that ever used that name for me, and it stuck for many years. Now I need to ponder on what that name meant for me, because there’s a real charge there for me in the remembering.
As another 46 year old leftist myself, it was refreshing to find your work several years ago. It's one of those liberating moments when you find a person that makes you realize, maybe it's not something wrong with you, maybe it's something wrong with the world. Not to say introspection is bad, but I grew up around New Agers and it's similar to what they call attached entities, the thought-forms we think are our own, but really aren't. I find the current fixation on identity to be something similar.
I appreciate your critiques of the id-pol zeitgeist from a leftist framework (which is otherwise pretty hard to find). I never thought of it like that, but I like your example of the French aristocracy right before the Revolution, and like the Ancien Régime, the whole thing is collapsing under its own weight.
Good to know you better! (I see you are a fellow Xennial- just! I have just been writing about our micro-generation.)
Looking forward to making my way through that list