Today we update several of the big stories that we’ve been following…
Instagram bans #Goddess
On July 30, we reported that Instagram had banned the hashtag term #goddess. The social media site was attempting to curb, as it has done before, the posting of unacceptable content or images. In a statement, Instagram specifically said that “#goddess was consistently being used to share content that violates our guidelines around nudity.” The ban inspired a #bringbackthegoddess protest, including wide-spread criticism and backlash from around the world.
After a recent check, it appears that the hashtag is coming back. You can now tag your photos with #goddess and search the term (sort of). In July, if you searched #goddess, you would only see #goddesses. Now you can once again see a listing for the over 1,450,000 images using the #goddess label.
However there is a caveat. Although Instagram has brought its use back, the company is still limiting the search view to only “top posts.” You will not have the option to view the “most recent” additions. As Instagram explains, “We may remove the Most Recent section of a hashtag page if people are using the hashtag to post abusive content in a highly visible place.” The company adds that the limitation is placed on searches in order to protect the integrity of the hashtag and search page.
This may or may not be temporary. The partial unblock was also done to #curvy, after its banning inspired a similar backlash. That hashtag still contains a moderated search view. Similar to #goddess, the term #curvy will only yield a select group of about 36 “top posts.” In late July, Instagram told The Washington Post,
We want people to be able to express themselves, and hashtags are a great way to do that. At the same time, we have a responsibility to act when we see hashtags being used to spread inappropriate content to our community. In the case of #curvy, we don’t like putting restrictions around a term that many people use in very positive ways, so we have decided to unblock the hashtag while taking steps to ensure that it’s not used as a vehicle for bad content.
It appears that #goddess is now following the same moderated trajectory.
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New Orleans HexFest Forced to Change Location
On Aug. 9, we reported that HexFest had been forced to change its opening ritual location with only two weeks to go. Opening Friday Aug. 21, the event is now taking place on the Creole Queen Riverboat rather than at its original location on the Steamboat Natchez. According to the organizers, a Natchez sales representative said that the cancellation was due to religion, but then later changed that reason to breach of contract.
When we originally published the article, we had not yet heard back from either steamboat. We finally did hear from both. Natchez spokesperson Adrienne Thomas simply told The Wild Hunt, “The HexFest river event has been relocated from the Steamboat Natchez to the Creole Queen Riverboat, and arrangements have been coordinated by all parties involved.” She declined to answer any specific questions, nor would she say anymore about the situation.
Creole Queen spokesperson Jill Anderson said that she was “surprised” by what had happened to HexFest. And that the organizers were lucky that Creole Queen was available at such at late date. She also reiterated that company was pleased to be hosting the evening event.
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Florida Triple Murder Ignites Witchcraft Frenzy
After an Aug. 4 news conference, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) set off a media firestorm that focused enormous attention on “Witchcraft” and “Wicca.” As we originally reported, the first flood of stories emphasized the alleged reality of a “ritualistic, blue moon, witchcraft” triple homicide. Then, within 48 hours, the news shifted, with local, national and international outlets turning to Wiccans and Witches for reactions.
NBC, who published the first news report using the term Wicca, also returned to the story and included an interview with blogger Peg Aloi. In that update, journalist Erin Calabrese specifically noted that Sgt. Hobbes of ECSO did use the word “Wiccan” during a phone interview. Calabrese’s report is in direct contrast with the ECSO statement, which stressed that Sgt. Hobbes was misquoted and never said the word “Wiccan.”
Regardless, over the following days, there was a swell in similar mainstream reports demonstrating the outrage felt within Wiccan and Witchcraft communities. Along with Lady Liberty League, Covenant of the Goddess and others, even those outside of Pagan religious spheres, made public statements or posted commentary decrying ECSO’s careless use of either term.
On the flip side, the media attention also provided teaching opportunities. Priestess and author Courtney Weber was interviewed by Thom Hartmann for his show “The Big Picture”
Now, nearly ten days later, there have been no official updates to the case, and ECSO is refusing to take any more media questions. However, on Aug. 14, the local Pensacola CBS affiliate WKRG did once again attempt to get clarification on the use of the word witchcraft. While following the Sheriff outside, the WKRG reporter asked specifically if ECSO was still calling the crime witchcraft. The Sheriff said “pull up the tape” and “that’s where the misconception was.” The reporter does just that, demonstrating the Sheriff’s clear usage of the term. This interaction was caught on tape and is now posted on WKRG’s Facebook page.
As for the three victims, they were laid to rest on Aug. 14. Short obituaries with photographs are posted on the website of a local funeral home.
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Heather, I hope you’ve seen my latest over at the Agora, which offers a new tactic for dealing with allegations of “wiccan” crimes. If not, have a look:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2015/08/the-rantin-raven-you-got-some-splainin-to-do/
Thanks, Dana. I just read it. Very good points and a worthy read. That was the very strategy that I had with the Sheriff’s PIO. The “why?” is still a mystery. Thanks for sharing your post!
I’m, dying to know — how did they respond? Did they actually answer your questions or just dance around?
No. They would not answer due to it being an open investigation. But I am on the media list and will report back should they start to respond.
With the exception of the “Friendly Atheist” at Patheos I didn’t see the “Wiccan Ritual Murder” BS gain a whole lot of traction in the news or the blogosphere outside of Pagan circles. None of my Christian friends from high school (and I went to school outside of Nashville TN) were talking about Wicca, the Devil, and murder. I didn’t really see this story on a lot of the national news websites . . . . . .
Of course I could be wrong and the rest of you saw it nearly EVERYWHERE, but I didn’t. Perhaps the message we’ve been trying to get out the last 25 years has worked to some degree?
Won’t work. They would just ignore it because their voters don’t care and if their voters don’t care they have no reason to care what anyone else thinks. A libel suit might be more effective.
A libel suit has much better chances if other avenues have been tried first. Also, who has standing to sue? What individual can claim to have been demonstrably harmed by the Sheriff’s reckless language?
the person of intrest can sue. got any idea who this is. there is a third son who did not die ! the family think this is all bogus.
If the person of interest is not actually Wiccan (which seems likely) the only way to claim libel is to prove to a court’s satisfaction that being called Wiccan is a legal insult. I wouldn’t want a court to accept that.
I agree, Baruch.
Having standing to sue, as persons interested in certain marriage equality lawsuits have observed, requires that demonstrable and quantifiable harm has been done. If all one can do is claim there will or might be harm–even for restraining orders there must be threat or some evidence to justify it–then you have no standing. Philosophical or allegedly religious objections to marriage equality WRT California’s Prop 8 repeal was not adequate.
Education, rather than legal action, is called for here.
Not that the Christian Day Hate Machine™ (CDHM) will give it up, but I’m sure the smart people reading this can read between the lines of the Natchez’ non-response.
What I find particularly enthralling about the CDHM™ is that, while they insisted that Ty Siddiqui and I were lying about this being canceling for religious reasons, all because it was me saying it, they wholeheartedly believed me when I said that they later called and said it was for contract violations. If everything I say is such a lie, why believe any of what I say? All anyone has had to go on, religious reasons and contract violations alike came from me and from Ty, our event coordinator, but the hate brigade was so quick to believe whatever piece we spoke that put us in a bad light, even if it meant attacking the credibility of Ms. Siddiqui, who was on the phone with me when “religious reasons” were given as the initial cause. To make it even more interesting, only Ty was on the phone with them when “contract violations” was given as the amended reason so I’m having such trouble following the calisthenics of logic necessary to believe Ty a liar simply because she shares the same story I do, only to believe the second half of her story minus the first one. So to these lovelies, we’re lying until we’re not. It’s all so fascinating for those who can follow the logical bouncing ball.
I guess at the end of the day, all’s well that ends well. The bigger boat allowed us to sell fifteen more tickets and we only have four remaining of those. Instead of the generic menu we had on the previous boat, the gracious Creole Queen created a completely custom New Orleans-style menu for us, which made connecting to the spirit of place—the reason we have the riverboat all—much easier in preparation for the workshops to come.
I am so looking forward to this event. I really wrote my own epitaph along with the haters back in September. I thought that, at the very least, the magical community had abandoned me if the mundanes who normally fuel my annual income didn’t. It’s nice to know that people out there get what we’re trying to do. Yeah, I can be a bitch sometimes doing it but it comes with the territory of what I have to deal with on any given day from crazy people who are more interested in taking down anyone with vision than in actually finding inspiration for themselves. I can only promise that the magic that Brian and I continue to live and to share will be both empowering, enlightening, and, perhaps most of all, entertaining.
Kisses to all and to all a good night. 🙂
Your self-absorption is funny. Thanks for the laugh.