The thing with Witch School reminded me of a comment from Juliaki on this post.

She asked "Why is elitism bad?"

I suppose it comes down to if the elitism is earned or bestowed.

When it comes to titles, Pagan titles in particular, they really don't tell me much.

"Vice President of Marketing." "Lady of the Inner Circle." "Teacher."

These titles tell nothing.

The virtue isn't in the title you see, the virtue is in the individual.

Titles draw their power from the virtue of the individual.

So what makes an elite?

The actions and choices of an individual.

We recognize elitism all the time. You go to your doctor because you trust him, not necessarily because of those initials behind his name. You call the plumber that you know will show up and fix the problem. You don't go to just any restaurant, you carefully choose.

If witchcraft were a profession, people would want to know about the individual reputation.

Not if a person was a witch or not.

If you had an English sports car, would you take it to just any mechanic? If you want a good quality towel, will you go the the closeout bin at the dollar store? If you need your taxes done, will you use your neighbor's sister's friend?

You may get exactly what you want from these places, but you have no way of knowing which will pay off and which will not. And there is no guarantee that it will pay off more than once.

Thinking about it, over the years we've assumed that there is some sort of egalitarianism in witchcraft and Pagan beliefs. There is not. Not all witches are equal. Not all Pagans are equal. Not all Pagans are witches.

Let's put in another word that is supposed to be a no-no.

Discrimination.

Discrimination is not necessarily evil.

I don't want my Baptist relatives telling me how to practice my faith. I don't necessarily want them telling me how to practice magick either, even though some of them do exactly that, all be it in rather limited circumstances. I'm discriminating because I don't think they know enough to tell me what I need to know.

People are not all equally gifted. Certainly Pagans aren't all equally gifted. Should each be given the same consideration?

All I have got to go on is the individual reputation. And once there is someone I can trust, I am more likely to pay attention to THEIR choices than I am someone I do not know.

So should witchcraft be elite?

Why should it be any different?