This week the Pagan blogosphere and Twitterverse has lit up with commentary on the Fox News coverage of the new University of Missouri acknowledgement of Pagan and Wiccan holidays. Replete with mispronunciation of the names of the religions in question and mocking commentary on witchcraft the motivations for Wiccans choosing to follow their religion, the Fox News pundits easily riled up the community. Radio host Tammy Bruce said that the ire of Wiccans should be directed towards the University, for using them as a pawn for political correctness.
Of course, most Wiccans would be happy to have holidays acknowledged in a diversity guide, so it is unlikely that Bruce's statement will ring true with most Wiccans even if privileges such as excused absences or faculty days off have not yet been granted. However, it could also be argued that Fox News should not be the target of boycotts or angry letters either.
Modern traditional Wicca, as opposed to other religions, has never been one with publically acknowledged holidays. Instead of having paid clergy, established temples and days set aside for the religion, clergy keep their day jobs and abscond by night to the Sabbat, as has always been done. It is a cultural value of the Wicca that they are "the hidden children of the Goddess," and any institutional structures that continue that history are not necessarily to be fought.
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