TOXIC BUNNIES, NOT FUNNY BUNNIES OR FLUFFY BUNNIES 2/19/07

Picking on people who are "different" or identified as "other" is not new to pagans nor to the world in general. Calling people names helps the process of creating barriers between people. That is not new either.

I've been reading a great book by James Waller called "Becoming Evil." His premise is that all of us are capable of extraordinary evil [like the Holocaust, mass regional genocides, etcetera] and he develops his premise with many examples. So far, it is a most excellent book and I do recommend it for anyone who is curious about that sort of thing.

The "fluffy bunny" stuff is far from extraordinary evil, however some of the same processes-- to a lesser degree-- are observable in any sort of teasing or shunning.

This mocking of eclectic witches and labeling has been going on long before 2007. I found references on the internet dating back to 2002-- some essays. A friend of mine sent me info on a yahoo "fluffy12-step recovery" group which had started in November of 2002 [although it has now degenerated into a place to send spam]. The further labeling of some of us as "toxic bunnies" is merely an attempt to kick it up a notch. [Emeril: the chef who is always taking his own recipe and "kicking it up a notch" comes to mind here].

It is all pretty laughable. And sad too that folks who are well-known within the pagan community and well-thought of would stoop to such levels. As an example, Daven himself is an A.D.F. druid and as such certainly possesses excellent scholarship skills and historical research skills. His actions and perceived actions do not obliterate his qualifications to teach others nor his hard work at his writing. He does indeed have talent and has been able to hone it into a name for himself on the web. It would be easy for me to ignore all of that and treat him as "other" by calling him names.

I endeavor not to call the folks engaged in "fluffy bunny/toxic bunny hunting" names because I do not want to become part of the process of dehumanization of others that they have become part of. That is probably the largest quarrel that my dear friend Blue Space and I have had because she prefers differently than I do.

I am not perfect. And I had been engaged in some underhandedness back in November, for which I have made my amends. At times I still have to tell myself to shut my mouth.

Ultimately, I will continue to live and enjoy my life and that is my hope for all of us. If I wind up labeled as a "toxic bunny," well so be it. As my libertarian atheist friend Nathaniel Branden says, "It's not about what other people think [about me], it's about what I KNOW." I know who I am.

sapphoq n friends

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