im neo-pagan and am interested in norse & celtic mythology/symbolism/etc , but i know neo-nazis have been co-opting a lot of norse shit into their nazi things. what should i be avoiding that they have “claimed” or should i just step away from that stuff altogether?

antifainternational:

Let us tell you a little story from the 1990s.   One of the original SHARP skinheads we know was at a party when someone said, “hey man, why don’t you drop the whole skinhead thing so people don’t mistake you for a nazi?”

Our friend explained it thusly: “let’s say you loved golf.  No, you REALLY loved golf!  Golf was your everything.  Your whole identity was about golf.  Then one day, some losers showed up at the golf course with some shitty golf clothes and cheap golf clubs.  They clearly don’t know much about the game and can’t play it very well. But they are good at being racist assholes and attacking people with their clubs.

“Are you going to give up the thing that you love; the thing that you identify the most with; the thing that makes you you because some racist assholes showed up and are wrecking it?  Oh hell no you’re not!  You’re not going to let them steal and ruin what wasn’t theirs to start with.  So you’re going to get your other golf-obsessed friends together and run them the fuck off the links and out of the sport altogether!”

So whether you’re a neo-pagan, or a skinhead, or a golf fanatic – when bigots show up pretending to be part of your scene, take back what they’ve stolen from your culture and then run them the fuck out.  

Since you’re a neo-pagan, we’ll make it easy for you to get started by pointing you in the direction of Heathens United Against Racism.

FORE!