Wicca takes giant leap backward on ABC

[Evenstar]

I've never watched 'Wife Swap', nor am I likely to, but for those who did I have 2 questions. Do you guys think they picked this family only because they fit the negative stereotype? and How do you think viewers would react if they showed a Wicca family in a more positive light?

I will admitt they seem to pick the most crazy famlies, and match them up with the complete opposite.
Which in return causes trouble, they will pick real crazy Christians and pal them up with a Pagan family, knowing they won't get on or like it.
Its all for the viewers, it always seems they have to find the most bizzare families out there
Its just sad when they are picking on your religion (Go on yes I know) lol
As for picking a Wiccan family in a more postive light, maybe it may have helped people see we are not all strange, and dont worship the Devil or any such thing.
Wiccans are seen bad evil people by so many, it will be a cold day in Hell before we are all seen as pretty peace loving people, sadly this show don't help.
Ah well jumping off my soap box now :curtsy:

 

[CaptainXeroid]

That was pretty much the point I was TRYING to make. Damn subtlety... one day.

Oh, I got your point, and I tend to agree with it. I was curious if our Wicca members saw it as a shot at them more than a ratings gimmick.

 

[Squirt]

I'm watching WifeSwap on ABC right now and my mouth is gaping! I wanted to watch it because it was said that a Wiccan family would be on there and I' was curious. They are outrageous! Jars of lizard skins and guts, "broom rides", pointed curly toes shoes, "house elf" that cleans (yet the house is filthy), the wife is worshipped as a goddess (and she's supposedly a coven high priestess). The house is just so messed up!

Not to mention the other family is from Iowa where the woman waits on her husband hand and foot and he controls all the money. I just can't win here .

On the plus side...the father of the "Wiccan" family comes to his senses and concentrates more on his family instead of the coven, and the father of the Iowa family starts to learn what his wife really does.

It just perturbs me that most people have no idea what Wicca is about and the thought that this is their main exposure to what it is is just downright scary.

Well, I can certainly empathize. As far as the entertainment industry is concerned, promoting inaccurate information about a religion is fair game as long as there is a buck to be made. Believe me, I've seen the same thing happen in portrayals of members of my Church all my life.

 

[turk179]

On a similar show called Trading Spouses, a pagan family traded wives with a Christian family and the exact opposite happened. The pagan family were the normal decent people who had there act together and the Christian woman was utterly insane.That woman definitely gave Christians a bad name. Obviously these things are done for ratings, these things wouldn't be on TV if they weren't, but what they do for the populations views on religion is another matter entirely. Wicca already has a hard time with misconceptions and such. We need all the good P.R. we can get.

 

[Majikthise]

These shows are all about hype and ratings, I hope no one takes anything seriously from watching this junk.:biglaugh:

 

[Majikthise]

My wife and I both wondered about this after watching this show.
I am an atheist, she is pagan. We have a plain household, clean but not super clean, a few small religious trappings we enjoy ,some christian, some pagan. Alot of science related objects and books, pagan books, wiccan books, magic books, bibles, just lots of books.

Who would we get paired up with?

 

[turk179]

Obviously these things are done for ratings, these things wouldn't be on TV if they weren't, but what they do for the populations views on religion is another matter entirely.

Of course we may be overreacting a little. It is there for entertainment purposes and I was entertained, slightly offended, but entertained.

 

[Majikthise]

Of course we may be overreacting a little. It is there for entertainment purposes and I was entertained, slightly offended, but entertained.

I usually laugh my silly little butt off with glee while watching this stuff.

 

[turk179]

My wife and I both wondered about this after watching this show.
I am an atheist, she is pagan. We have a plain household, clean but not super clean, a few small religious trappings we enjoy ,some christian, some pagan. Alot of science related objects and books, pagan books, wiccan books, magic books, bibles, just lots of books.

Who would we get paired up with?

I don't think that the entertainment would come from the show itself but from the act of trying to find a pair for you both.:biglaugh:

 

[jeffrey]

My wife and I both wondered about this after watching this show.
I am an atheist, she is pagan. We have a plain household, clean but not super clean, a few small religious trappings we enjoy ,some christian, some pagan. Alot of science related objects and books, pagan books, wiccan books, magic books, bibles, just lots of books.

Who would we get paired up with?

Maybe some illiterate Christian from the back woods of Kentucky..... Wait a minute! I just described myself!

 

[Majikthise]

Maybe some illiterate Christian from the back woods of Kentucky..... Wait a minute! I just described myself!

I have to spread more karma.:banghead3

 

[jeffrey]

And that God warrior one, were she ripped up the letter and refused the money, I like at the end how they stated that after further consideration, she decided to keep the money. :biglaugh:

 

[Majikthise]

And that God warrior one, were she ripped up the letter and refused the money, I like at the end how they stated that after further consideration, she decided to keep the money. :biglaugh:

Classic.
The thing that bothered me most about that one was how the pagan wife gave her husband the cold shoulder when she returned. It wasn't cool.

 

[Draka]

Classic.
The thing that bothered me most about that one was how the pagan wife gave her husband the cold shoulder when she returned. It wasn't cool.

I don't remember that. I do remember that one where the Florida woman did that to her husband...but she already treated him like dog doo.

Yeah, seems Turk beat me to it, but I was going to mention that reversed one on Trading Spouses. That "Christian" woman kept ranting about the "dark side" and screamed at the top of her lungs and stuff. The pagan husband would just look at her like she was crazy and try to talk her down at times. It was funny though when she tore up that letter. Her family was just in shock. Her family didn't seem to have any problem really with the pagan woman.

Yes, for entertainment value, but as mentioned before, it doesn't do much to further some people's understanding of certain religions. Enough is known about Christianity to know that that "god warrior" is not the norm, but Wicca is still unheard of to many people and a lot have no idea what it is. I just hope that most people know that just like the "god warrior" isn't the ideal Christian...nor was "the wiccan goddess" the ideal Wiccan.

And this thread made me realize that a lot more people watch these shows than I knew. I'm not a sick freak for watching them! :jiggy: Either that...or we all are.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

I watched this, too. I felt really bad about doing so, though. This was one of two episodes I've seen where the swapping is 'based' upon the extremism of the beliefs of one of the family, and the other one was a 'non-traditional' religion, as well. That's kind of annoying.

 

[sapphire]

oh dear, i missed that part of the show.. but that is not what wicca is about? :woohoo:

 

[Draka]

oh dear, i missed that part of the show.. but that is not what wicca is about? :woohoo:

Yeah. We were all just having fun here. Of course it is what Wicca is. And by the way...haven't I met you on a broom ride to India lately? I swear I saw you in the same store buying new pointy shoes. I loved them. SO YOU!

 

[sapphire]

okay, you got me on that one.. lol :bounce

 

[Feathers in Hair]

I actually kind of liked the broom rides they showed. It was like guided meditation, with a concrete object to focus on.

 

[ΩRôghênΩ]

ya i know some crazy wiccans too. but i think it gives them bad names