British police who launched an offensive to crack down on seasonal crime have been pressured into renaming their operation. After protests from a pagan group, the name Operation Pagan was scrapped:
"It had seemed a good idea for Kent police to name the six-week campaign Operation Pagan because it coincided with Hallowe’en. However, the force had not reckoned with the Pagan Federation, which said the name of the operation, to tackle vandalism and violence linked to longer autumn nights, was offensive.
"Brian Botham, a spokesman for the federation, said: ‘They wouldn’t have called it Operation Christian, Operation Jew or Operation Muslim. So why Operation Pagan?’"
Perhaps because the word pagan has traditionally had a wider usage as a synonym for hedonist before it was constricted by the resurgence of people who consider the term a badge of honor. In any event, the police have rolled their eyes, made the change, and could not resist poking a bit of fun at the hyper-sensitive climate of contemporary society:
"A police spokesman said: ‘We’re sorry if the name caused distress.’ The operation has been renamed Excalibur. ‘We’re waiting for some Arthurian society to complain that we’re besmirching Camelot,’ said one officer."
We’re waiting for some Arthurian society to complain that we’re besmirching Camelot. Ha!!! At least somebody’s still got a sense of humor over there.
Margaret–My thoughts exactly! 😀
Taking “pagan” in the hedonistic-bordering-on-nihilistic vein, I laughed at the original title of the offensive by Brit police. I thought it clever. Didn’t initially occur to me that a pagan practitioner would take offense.
Guess I need sensitivity training! 😉
They wouldn’t have called it Operation Christian, Operation Jew or Operation Muslim. So why Operation Pagan?
A few reasons. Perhaps because Operation Christian/Jew/Muslim lacks the repetition of the long A sound that lets Operation Pagan roll off the tongue.
Oy vey.
Pagan meant something like “hillbilly,” right? From the country folk who kept to the old ways as Rome was converting to Christianity, I think.
No, it refers to either to “civilian” — as in, not a soldier of Christ — or the worship of gods of the location. It certainly does not mean country folk, because it was in use long before such a distinction could have been made.
We’re waiting for some Arthurian society to complain that we’re besmirching Camelot.
We could always forward forward the story to the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA)- they’d probably be willing to file a grievence.