quips about my interests aside

[rm]

This article deserves a note of "wtf?!?!" to the NYTimes. I'm just debating how to phrase it, for both clarity and personal amusement.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/01/nyregion/01cats.html

the quote in question?

"Any evil intention against my cats and me, will come back to you, three times three."

Thus spoke the witch of Elmhurst last week, casting a protective spell over her coven of cats — 30 strong, but shrinking by the day — living in the rent-controlled studio apartment she shares with her mother on 80th Street in Queens.

The witch happens to be Melanie Neer, 50, a student of the principles of Wicca and Harry Potter.

Comments

[algor.livejournal.com]

A "student of the principles of Harry Potter".

Exactly what principles are they talking about? Does she live her life according the Collected Wisdom of the Sorting Hat?

[rm.livejournal.com]

I don't fucking know, but it's fucking annoying.

Oh, yeah, I am cranky.

[crazycatlady.livejournal.com]

I love cats and I do enjoy Harry Potter but damn. I'm scared I'm going to wind up her. I wish there were a way I coudl change my LJ account name...

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

I love your icon so very, very much.

[crazycatlady.livejournal.com]

I didn't make it, but thanks!

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

How to change the LJ user name

My mom is a crazy cat lady, but she actually takes care of the cats. Still, she has nine. But since she works at a vet, she can afford to do this. ;)

[fuyukodachi.livejournal.com]

This is embarrassing.

[melebeth]

Seriously what the hell?

And I wonder if the "wicca and principles of HP" came from her or the reporter. The Wicca thing is clearly from her, and her being an animal hoarder shows that she's a nutjob, but I question whether the HP is her idiocy or his. And why, oh why, didn't animal care and control spay the remaining cats the first time they went in?!!!

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and the lack of clarity makes it look like the reporter is being snide about a significant, albeit minority, religion in the US. Which will be the gist of what I have to say when I figure out how to say it.

[melebeth]

Equating the principles of Wicca to those of Harry Potter is largely equivalent to saying that Christians follow the spiritual precepts of the the DaVinci Code. The fictions may have some vague ties to the faith, but neither has been put forth as a religious text.

The irony, being, of course that as a cynic I rather think of all religious texts as simply highly compelling works of fiction. Stories are the foundation of faith - if it was provable there would be nothing to believe in.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I mean, totally. One of the biggest peeces in HP fandom is people trying to make it all pagan-y, because really, so so Church of England.

[melebeth]

Except without the hats. Which is a shame, because the hats are TOTALLY the best part of Church of England.