Chapter 1 Page 7
***TRANSCRIPT***
Panel 1: Florence Greentail and Clara Hopper are sitting on the couch. Florence Greentail says, “So, your hat…” and Clara Hopper responds, “Oh, yeah! Do you like it? I got it online from a hand-made store and-”
Panel 2: Florence Greentail cuts of Clara to say, “I feel obligated to tell you… it’s origins are, well, antisemitic.”
Panel 3: Clara Hopper sits in stunned silence. Florence Greentail rambles a long speech, partially obscured behind Clara Hopper. Clara Hopper thinks “But…but… I spent 160 dollars on this co-ord…”
Florence Greentail’s ramble reads, “Now, there has been some debate if the origin of the stereotype matter anymore considering this hasn’t been a symbol associated with the Jewish people in probably a century, and.. (cut off) …not that means it can’t be reclaimed by non-Jewish witches. Also… (cut off)… your hat isn’t exactly the right shape because of those bizarre… (cut off) …been alive long enough to see the twisted hat rise to popularity… (cut off) …never understood why that became such a standard for stereotypical… (cut off) …But I still think people who are sensitive to the matter like the a- (cut off) …offended (cut off) … this outfit (cut off) … Of course, I support (cut off) … change (cut off) … don’t see a good reason to (cut off) … serous issue in the modern.. (cut-off) … like Trish Honeyblood and other (cut off) … stealing from closed traditions like Halloween Candy Buckets…”
I can’t read most of the words behind Clara in the last panel, so I don’t get how it’s anti-Semitic.
Not like it’s too important, it’s like saying you shouldn’t celebrate halloween because it’s a pagan holiday or to “put the Christ back in Christ-mas”.
….I AM CLARA
Truth be told, the iconic “witch hat” isn’t outright anti-semetic in nature, due to the muddled origins of the style. Many scholars do point to the fact that there was a particular pointed hat worn by medieval European Jewish folk, which has a distinct style and history (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_hat). While it does share certain commonalities with the iconic Witch Hat, the associations of witches wearing the specific hats in question didn’t arise until later, closer to the 18th century, when pointed hats with wide brims were in fashion for much of Western Europe, as seen here: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mrs_Salesbury_-_wright.jpg) . Up until this point, witches had often been seen with wind-blown hair in wood-block prints, indicative of their unruly natures.
There is also some evidence to support notions that witch hats were inspired by hats that the Puritans wore, or that it is a brimmed (and thus, feminine) pointed cap similar to male-portrayed magicians throughout the Middle Ages.
Much like the modern day American Santa Claus (who’s current imagery is largely a product of early 1900s marketing campaigns), the archetypal “Witch Uniform” has many different origin influences and often gets murky and muddled in regards to the direct cause for the clothing styling.
TL;RD: Some coincidental historical events doesn’t necessarily equal witch hats being anti-semetic.
This comic was based on a message I got on tumblr while I was running a witchcraft blog. At the time, the witch hat was a hotly debated subject in the tumblr witchcraft community. It’s mostly covered up, but I mention some of the things you said here in Florence’s extended rant. When I made this comic I was thinking this would be a spoof of the debate, rather than a definitive stance on the witch hat issue (something that I, for the most part, think is a non-issue.)
Thank you for the information though! I appreciate your enthusiasm.
i need that hat
you could tell them all about the hat or you could just not bring it up the very first time you meet someone.
it’s clear that they didn’t do to offend and that they actually made an effort to get along.
you should be glad they put so much effort into this meeting.
it shows that they really care about it.
just started a reread… that “Trish honey-blood” namedrop is really early.