A member of our little board on MySpace (who asked not to be
identified) wrote me off-list. Apparently she's been over on the
"Druid Fellowship for Todays Druids" group, and made the classic
mistake of revealing herself as a Reformed Druid. Of course, as has
happened before, the CRs came out in droves to kill the witch.

Not surprising really, as this has happened to many of us on
practically all the MySpace Druid groups, since CR is the dominant
Celtic paradigm over on MySpace. But apparently there's a new twist.
She was accused of "cultural genocide."

Apparently, calling oneself a Druid without a strictly Celtic context
(something the Reform has always done, as Celticism has always been
treated as an option) is "stealing" from another culture and
"denigrating" the office (or do you think it was because she is Black?).

I went and looked over the thread myself (It was my "Who's a
Druid...." thread, started back in April - still alive and kicking
many months after I left). Indeed, she was accused of "cultural rape"
several times.

In another thread, Steven Crimmins' (sp?)(Archdruid at Carleton in
2006 I think), edited version of the "What and Why is Reformed
Drudism.." pamphlet (from the ARDA) was used to further bolster the
"Reformed Druids are fluffy bunnies who steal cultural elements"
argument. In Crimmins new version, he mentions Carleton Groves use of
the Lakota Sweat Lodge ceremony. Yet another charge of cultural rape
occurs here.

We're also accused of being "Treehuggers." Which, we are, and so
what? What's wrong with that? It's a code word for
"environmentalists" anyway, and I proudly sport the "TREEHUGGER"
bumper sticker on my car.

I suppose I should write reviews of all the Druid groups on MySpace
and post them somewhere so that Druids don't wander in to those places
unawares and get pounded.

Let me say too that I don't have anything against CRs at all. I think
they do fine work and if you are in to that sort of thing they have
great resources (we integrated the IMBAS Book list into the
recommended reading list long ago). I have an acquaintance whom I've
know for some 15 years that is a founder of the CR movement. She's
never been anything but nice to me, and we've reprinted some of her
articles (with her permission) in Druids Egg.

It seems like it's just the younger CRs that are coming across like
Nazis on the boards. What's up with that? Why can't we all just get
along? This isn't Iraq you know. It's like a Sunni vs Shia thing. Very
ugly. Aren't we all Druids after all?