Stamps1962 Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1428538/ Just heard a radio ad for this movie- a sinister voice over saying that some people think there are good witches, "I say kill them all." I have a family member who is Wiccan. Comments??
Ross Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 I have seen the shorts for this and am not impressed with the way they are portraying those of us who follow the Old Ways. So typical of follywood to make witches out to be horrible evil creatures. Eight words the Witches’ Creed fulfill: If it harms none, do what you will.
HymenaeusAlexander Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 So typical of follywood to make witches out to be horrible evil creatures. Really? I mean, I get that witches aren't exactly accurately represented in film and television, but terrible evil creatures? Always? Willow Samantha Stevens The Halliwell Sisters Harry Motherfucking Potter Sabrina The sisters from Practical Magic Glenda (this one is debatable) Sorceress from He-Man Growing up my mom had to constantly forbid me from watching films and TV shows that depicted good witches because as she said, "there are no such things as good witches." So I don't really buy the line that Hollywood even typically depicts witches in a bad light. That's like saying Hollywood typically depicts Native Americans in a bad light. Inaccurately? Sure. Unless you're just being hyperbolic, in which case, I apologize for misunderstanding. 2
Ross Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 I was exaggerating a bit about follywood. But I do get sick of people stereotyping witches as evil. Who was it that drowned and burnt witches during the witch hunts? From my understanding it was the xtians.
HymenaeusAlexander Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 I was exaggerating a bit about follywood. But I do get sick of people stereotyping witches as evil. Who was it that drowned and burnt witches during the witch hunts? From my understanding it was the xtians. Well, they burned and drowned lots of folks. Albigensians, Anabaptists, Arians, and that's just the groups beginning with A. I didn't mean to come across that harsh. I think I just had some repressed childhood memories there that came out in a bit of frustration.
JadedAtheist Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 I don't see what modern pagans/wiccans have to be offended about (do they really call themselves witches?). Modern pagans follow a rehash of pagan beliefs with little similarity to the way "real pagans" did things and the 'witches' that Christians burned were themselves most likely Christians falsely accused. 2
Stamps1962 Posted January 24, 2013 Author Posted January 24, 2013 It's the slant they are using on the ads- 'Kill them all' and implying there are no good ones. Can you imagine if some movie producer did a movie about a couple going around killing Muslims and saying this stuff on their ads? I'm not Wiccan myself but I am horribly offended at the way this is being promoted. I wonder if there is any push back from the Wiccan community?
JadedAtheist Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 It's the slant they are using on the ads- 'Kill them all' and implying there are no good ones. Can you imagine if some movie producer did a movie about a couple going around killing Muslims and saying this stuff on their ads? I'm not Wiccan myself but I am horribly offended at the way this is being promoted. I wonder if there is any push back from the Wiccan community? I just don't see the connect. Witches in most people's minds are no different to vampires or werewolves. The term witch and Wiccan in the modern sense occurred only the last 100 years and I don't think most people would think witch = pagan.
Vigile Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 It's just a movie. People need to stop looking for reasons to be offended. Hell, Spike Jonz was offended by Tarantino's use of the word nigger in Django. What other word should he have used in a slave-theme? 1
stryper Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 It's just a movie. People need to stop looking for reasons to be offended. Hell, Spike Jonz was offended by Tarantino's use of the word nigger in Django. What other word should he have used in a slave-theme? or ya know a Tarantino film. Personally, The movie looks to be a pesudo fantasy/action flick. Its being release DURING awards season. Which means they didn't want it to compete with any of the summer blockbusters that are scheduled and was released 2 months after the Hobbit. TLDR; This is gonna suck. So enjoy the violence and pretty explosions cause there ain't gonna be much else. 1
Rek99 Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 Sorceress from He-Man I wasn't allowed to watch He-Man as a kid, because he said "I HAVE THE POWER" and my mom thought that only Jesus should have the power. And here I am now......
SilentLoner Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 I assume from that line in the trailer they will come across some good witches and there's a plot conflict.
OpheliaGinger Posted January 25, 2013 Posted January 25, 2013 When I heard that line I thought, "Oh god," because I immediately knew it was just going to be a simply action flick where they hunt a bunch of witches and then come upon the big mamma witch, kill her, the end.
stryper Posted January 25, 2013 Posted January 25, 2013 When I heard that line I thought, "Oh god," because I immediately knew it was just going to be a simply action flick where they hunt a bunch of witches and then come upon the big mamma witch, kill her, the end. who is probably their mother.
Jose Posted January 25, 2013 Posted January 25, 2013 I have friends who are Wiccans who get butthurt anytime a witch is portrayed in a negative light. I make fun of them as much (or more) than I do my christian friends, especially when they make the mistake of calling themselves part of the the "most ancient" religion. Really? Gerald Gardner in 1952 is the "most ancient" religion? Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuure it is. 1
stryper Posted January 25, 2013 Posted January 25, 2013 The most ancient religion is the whorshiping of temple "priestesses" For 10 shekels you get two.
Ross Posted January 25, 2013 Posted January 25, 2013 I have friends who are Wiccans who get butthurt anytime a witch is portrayed in a negative light. I make fun of them as much (or more) than I do my christian friends, especially when they make the mistake of calling themselves part of the the "most ancient" religion. Really? Gerald Gardner in 1952 is the "most ancient" religion? Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuure it is. So your friends really don't know Netherlands history of Wicca I would say.
ConureDelSol Posted January 26, 2013 Posted January 26, 2013 If I were a witch, I would be honored to be killed by Jeremy Renner with some sort of steampunk gun.
Jose Posted January 26, 2013 Posted January 26, 2013 I have friends who are Wiccans who get butthurt anytime a witch is portrayed in a negative light. I make fun of them as much (or more) than I do my christian friends, especially when they make the mistake of calling themselves part of the the "most ancient" religion. Really? Gerald Gardner in 1952 is the "most ancient" religion? Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuure it is. So your friends really don't know Netherlands history of Wicca I would say. No, they buy the books by Llewellyn Press with moons and flowers on the covers. They buy commercial "magick" wands, they use sangria to celebrate Beltane or whatever. I think it's comical. I've met a couple of pagans I can deal with. They know there's no goddess and what they're worshiping is inside themselves, but the ones who just convert biblegod to Wiccagoddess because they get to feel good about screwing, I can't take seriously. 2
Stamps1962 Posted January 27, 2013 Author Posted January 27, 2013 I always wished I could get into Wicca, looks like it'd be fun. All that nudity on moonlit nights, etc.
Galien Posted January 27, 2013 Posted January 27, 2013 Well, if you don't eat kiddies I guess it doesn't apply to you.
Thackerie Posted January 27, 2013 Posted January 27, 2013 I don't see what modern pagans/wiccans have to be offended about (do they really call themselves witches?). Modern pagans follow a rehash of pagan beliefs with little similarity to the way "real pagans" did things and the 'witches' that Christians burned were themselves most likely Christians falsely accused. Shhh! You're not suppose to say that ~ you might offend some people who are pretending to follow the "old ways" instead of practicing some "rituals" invented in the past few decades (certainly within my lifetime). True, as you say: Modern pagans have little in common with true pagans of ancient times; wiccans have even less in common with witches as portrayed in movies. Ergo, I guess some people just enjoy being offended over nothing.
Akheia Posted January 27, 2013 Posted January 27, 2013 The nice thing about reconstructionist paganism is that nobody sane expects to do things the way the ancient Egyptians or Greeks or whatever did things. A certain amount of cultural shift and syncretism is expected and allowed for, unlike the Christian mythos, which clings to this imaginary "good old days" and every denomination (except the RCC I think) claims to be worshiping their god the exact same way the 12 Apostles and Early Church did. That said, I've met a fuckload of Wiccans--eclectic and trad--and a few Asatruar who say that sort of drivel. I once met a guy who claimed to practice "Renaissance-era Wicca" and furthermore to be the umpteenth-generation Wiccan in his family and I had to try hard to avoid snorting beer because he'd chosen to use that bizarre pickup line on the one woman in the entire room who was guaranteed to know he was fooling only himself (I know an unseemly amount about Renaissance-era magic and folk religion and no, JA and Thackerie have the right of it, there was no Wicca or anything equivalent; if any of these accused witches weren't die-hard Christians, they certainly put on a better show of it than any Christian today). It doesn't bother me at all when someone disses paganism because I know what they're really dissing: a pick-and-choose cafeteria spirituality and a certain shallowness of outlook as well as profound self-deception. If someone gets offended about how modern paganism doesn't look a hell of a lot like ancient paganism, they're exactly the sort of people who need to be offended. I think I'm going to pass on this movie. I certainly am not expecting a nuanced look at a form of "low Christianity" that manifested itself in folk remedies and customs that to our modern eyes look very magical. PS: Wiccans sometimes use "witch" but in the very large pagan groups I used to attend way back when, usually I heard them call themselves "Wiccans." Male Wiccans use "Wiccan" or occasionally "warlock." 1
JadedAtheist Posted February 9, 2013 Posted February 9, 2013 Shhh! You're not suppose to say that ~ you might offend some people who are pretending to follow the "old ways" instead of practicing some "rituals" invented in the past few decades (certainly within my lifetime). Hehe, I just saw replies to this topic. I really don't get paganism in any of its modern forms. Everyone who follows it knows it's all bullshit right? They seriously don't believe in gods and goddesses (like that Thor, Zeus, Ra and the like) all literally exist and their rituals and prayers do stuff? I'm totally being sincere (albeit crude) when I ask that. If they know it's bullshit, why pretend to believe in it and follow all these rituals and customs? I'm not much of an imagination person but perhaps it's akin to people who have a fascination with renaissance fairs and all that? If they literally believe these gods exist, then it just blows my mind. If there are any pagans here I'd be interested in knowing if they really do believe in this stuff or if it's just play along. The only thing that makes any sense to me personally is that it's play along but I guess ultimately 'whatever floats your boat'.
Akheia Posted February 9, 2013 Posted February 9, 2013 The question sounds seriously loaded, JA. I know you're about as hardline atheist as it comes, so when you say "they know it's all bullshit, right?" and "if they really do believe in this stuff or if it's just play along," I want you to understand that that kind of language sounds hugely disrespectful and like whatever a pagan said in answer, you'd respond abusively. I'm your wet dream for answers as I've been one for many years and was very active in a large pagan community so I've seen just about everything, but I'm not going to engage with questions hurled that disrespectfully until I know you're a safe space for my honesty. 3
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