I have seen a lot of mixed reviews of the new WGN television show, Salem in regards to its portrayal of supposed Witches in the Puritanical environment of early New England, some negative, some positive, but the only thing I have to say about it is this: If the show were addressing any other group would it be considered okay for that group to be portrayed as evil and demonic with the caveat that it's just a "Hollywood" fictionalized portrayal?
If a television show portrayed a group of people that have sold their souls and transformed into vicious monsters and described them as fictionalized "Hollywood Baptists" or "Hollywood Catholics" or "Hollywood Muslims" or "Hollywood Buddhists" would it still be considered okay? Would those groups be expected to "be mature adults" and not complain about such a degradation and distortion of their practices? Would they be expected to be satisfied with a "complex morality tale" that throws a crumb here or there toward their reality? No. The answer is no. In 2014, no reasonable person or religious group would ever allow themselves to be so viciously slandered, so why should Witches?
We need to demand that we are either portrayed accurately or not at all. They can use other names and titles and practices for magic-based fiction. It doesn't have to be Witches. The time when we had to suffer in silence and shoulder the burden of misinformation and slander has long since passed. We have an open and active culture and to stand idly by and say things like, "well, it'll open up a debate" or "at least it means Witches are popular subject matter" is nothing more than weak cop out; a victim mentality. The bottom line for me very Witch should watch this show once, to have an informed opinion, then no one should ever watch the show again. Blessed Be.
If a television show portrayed a group of people that have sold their souls and transformed into vicious monsters and described them as fictionalized "Hollywood Baptists" or "Hollywood Catholics" or "Hollywood Muslims" or "Hollywood Buddhists" would it still be considered okay? Would those groups be expected to "be mature adults" and not complain about such a degradation and distortion of their practices? Would they be expected to be satisfied with a "complex morality tale" that throws a crumb here or there toward their reality? No. The answer is no. In 2014, no reasonable person or religious group would ever allow themselves to be so viciously slandered, so why should Witches?
We need to demand that we are either portrayed accurately or not at all. They can use other names and titles and practices for magic-based fiction. It doesn't have to be Witches. The time when we had to suffer in silence and shoulder the burden of misinformation and slander has long since passed. We have an open and active culture and to stand idly by and say things like, "well, it'll open up a debate" or "at least it means Witches are popular subject matter" is nothing more than weak cop out; a victim mentality. The bottom line for me very Witch should watch this show once, to have an informed opinion, then no one should ever watch the show again. Blessed Be.
RSS Feed
