On this Minicon Easter weekend...

[gerisullivan]

...I'm glad I took a moment to stop, reflect, and remember that it is sometimes better to miss out on a chance to build friendships and community in order to avoid the appearance (and perhaps action) of mocking the religious beliefs of the very people you're trying to build friendships and community with.

And that's why the mini Easter basket of seasonal treats I took to the folks at the transfer station this morning had three yellow chick Peeps, two standard marshmallow bunny Peeps, and nary a single Cthulhu Peeps. And the same will probably be true of the basket I plan to drop off at the neighbor's house in another hour or so.

But thanks to Andra, who taught me how to make Cthulhu Peeps way back at...Minicon 34, I think...the bowl of Easter treats I'm taking to share with friends I'm having dinner with tonight? That bowl will be amply protected by minions of the Elder God Himself.

Comments

[apostle-of-eris.livejournal.com]

Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.
-- _Maxims for Revolutionists_, John Tanner, M.I.R.C. (Member of the Idle Rich Class) [George Bernard Shaw]

[richardthe23rd.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure the wording of your first sentence is the opposite of what you meant to say, but okay, cool.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

I changed "realize" to "remember" as it's something I've known for a long while.

I think the first sentence sez what I want it to. It's sometimes better to take the safe path, even though it means missing what might be shared fun. Because instead of being fun to the stranger, it might be utterly appalling and offensive.

AKA: know your audience when playing around with Gods and religious observances. It actually applies to all things holy...and mundane. Know your audience. And if you don't know your audience, do what you can to keep random acts of kindness actually kind.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

But you're not missing out on a chance to build friendships and community. Giving the baskets out is absolutely building those relationships. What you're missing is the opportunity to find out if any of these new relationships share your sense of humor and irreverent approach to things like religious holidays.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

I see what you mean, though for me the missed opportunity was for a considerably deeper level of friendship and community. In my mind, making the basket over to the transfer station falls into random acts of kindness territory. The times that I've taken tasty food in response to the guy commenting on my Penzey's bumper magnet*...those were friendship and community building events. There was real human interaction going on, real conversation. The kind of real conversation that would have happened if I'd made the Cthulhu Peeps...and the person receiving the basket shared my sense of humor.

And, yes, even a bog-standard Easter basket could have been thoughtless or offensive, but the risks on that were a lot lower.

[richardthe23rd.livejournal.com]

what she said.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Please see my reply to athenais.