#33 - So, like, what's up with all these witches coming out of the broom closet all of a sudden?

[reileen]

I always thought Tyra Banks was ugly, but after hearing what she said on a recent show she hosted that highlighted the beliefs and rituals of various types of witches, I think I can upgrade that to "ugly bitch."

In other news, Duxbury Wiccans open their lives to reality TV: Family stars in episode of new TLC series

Among the reasons people willingly partake in reality TV shows, promoting religious tolerance isn’t high on the list. But for the Rev. Kendra Vaughan Hovey, elder high priestess of Duxbury’s First Church of Wicca, and her husband, Tim, it’s the sole reason they agreed to star in an episode of a new series on The Learning Channel called ‘‘My Unique Family.’’

For the entire month of October, the Hoveys and their children Alec, 11, and Alana, 8, were filmed, followed and interviewed - at home, at church, going to work and, yes, even going out for ice cream.

[. . . ]

The cameras captured aspects of the family’s faith - Alana meditating at her altar, the congregation celebrating Samhain (Halloween) rituals - but fellow Wiccans didn’t warm to the idea of being on TV right away.

‘‘At first some of them were so scared,’’ Kendra Vaughan Hovey said. ‘‘But I said, ‘We’re trying to spread religious tolerance, don’t stand behind me, stand next to me.’’’

Okay, look. I don't mind ritual wear. I think it's rather cool, actually, and I kinda wish I had a reason to wear clothes like that that wouldn't involve me going to a Renaissance Faire, although I do love me my Ren Faires. I just wish they didn't use those photos as the promotional photos. Because all that does is promote the idea that witches/Wiccans/pagans/what-the-fuck-ever are the strange, mysterious, and possibly dangerous "other." I would've loved to see the wife and husband in normal clothes somewhere in the article, if not as the main photo. But that wouldn't be good for scaring people into watching the show, now, would it?

Bah. After the apparent fiasco that was Tyra's show, I have no faith that the producers are going to give this family a fair representation of who they are, and not just because they have to cram over 200 hours of footage into an hour-long program.

And then apparently there's a new Wife Swap episode coming on that switches a Central Floridian wife and a "woman who uses pagan rituals to celebrate the earth." Um, whut? LOL! Isn't Wife Swap supposed to be about switching two wives who are on polar end of things in some way, shape, or form? So what's the contrast here, that one's a pagan and the other is a "normal" woman, or something? And I thought they did an episode like this already. (Thanks to oohlalindsey for this heads-up.)

-Reileen
I'm not the one who's so far away when I feel the snakebite enter my veins