#the most violent harassment campaign i've been a target of was: what a surprise; white wiccans and witches

[the-eldritch-it-gay]

The Jews and Muslims: hey we are currently in danger for our religions and face social and legal penalties for visibly existing

White Wiccans practicing a religion some guy made up in the 70's while also appropriating from native cultures: we are the same

LITERALLY THO

White Wiccans straight up don't realize that whatever stigma they might face for their practice it literally ain't the same as what Jewish and Muslim folks face. I quite literally think they don't know like, what oppression and discrimination actually is.

We've known and been friends with some white Wiccans before (though we aren't anymore) and here are the following things they complained about facing:

People don't see their practice as serious

Their parents think they're just having a rebellious phase

Some "religious" (they mean christian) people think they are misguided or doing something evil. This on occasion means someone tried to "convert" them (usually handing them a bible or saying something to them)

Old white ladies give them weird looks

Their beliefs aren't well known and isn't represented or included in things

Is that annoying? Yeah, definitely. But compare that to things Jewish and Muslim folks have to face and have historically faced:

Violent physical attack

Mass shootings

Destruction of our holy places

Forcible conversion under threat of death

Religious practices being limited or made illegal

Limited permissible food (in my experience, it's super fucking hard to eat halal in my area)

People wanting us dead

Being denied things like jobs or service

And those are just a few! The difference is pretty stark! Like I'm sorry Makenzie that ur grandma thinks ur a satanist bcuz ur a wiccan but that literally is nowhere near the shit Jewish and Muslim folks face. You're not oppressed, oppression requires more than just a bit of stigma, oppression requires prejudice and institutional discrimination.

It's exhausting dealing with the shit, even without acknowledging just how much of their practices are just appropriation or the white privilege they hold. I will forever remember when I told a white wiccan that I have to constantly fear for my safety and a mosque by my house was bombed, and she responded "well witches were persecuted too you know!!!!". How insensitive and tactless and callous.