Does 'Folkish' = racist?

[rowan]

I've seen the word 'Folkish' used in quite a few situations that can only be described as rascist; is it being used as a more 'acceptable' word for 'racist'?

Can't help wondering if they're using the word to make themselves sound all nice and friendly in their online recruitment efforts


I've looked on Google and it appears that it's also a term used by Odinists so I apologise if I've got the wrong end of the stick!

[illgrace]

I found this to be not a bad article on it:

www.boudicca.de/folkuni.html

A lot depends on who's using the term. If it's a group like 'Wotansvolk', yes, extremely racist. But the further you get from it's origins, even geographically, the more difficult it is to tell.

It's like a 'Volkswagen'. When Hitler talked about 'the people's car', he meant 'volk' as in 'genetically superior Aryans, hopefully National Socialists'. When Joe and Jane from Toronto talk about their 'Volkswagen', the 'people' they are referring to (if they even know the origin of it) are probably the people on their street of all colours, creeds, nationalities, etc. .

I think you have to look at it on a case by case basis, but this is the question I always have to ask myself. Given the 'history' of the word and it's associations, why would a pagan group feel the need to insert it into their nomen? I understand lots of people want to 'reclaim' lots of things, like the Swastika as a religious only symbol. But the fact remains, when I see one, I get the shivers. It only means one thing to me - history has a funny way of doing that.

So, that's my general rule and I would ask any group "why do you consider yourself 'folkish'? What does it mean to you"?

Illgrace

[rowan]

Thanks Illgrace. I suppose we just have to go by instinct with suspicious threads then; you get to know what to look for after a while

btw, I never gave a thought to 'volks'wagon, but it makes sense once you know!

[Boojum]

In my experience, groups identifying as "folkish" tend to be dubious. At the very least, caution is advised.

Even at the milder end of the spectrum, they're almost always racially exclusive.

They'll often falsely present it as a universalist/folkish divide. Where in fact the reconstructionists are equally far from either position. They tend to ignore the existence of the reconstructionists completely.

[rowan]

Thanks Boo, it's as I thought but wanted to check with those that know