To Be Weird and Proud of it

Alex Hirsch and Dana Terrace Laugh at Religious Naysayers

Folks, by this time tomorrow, The Owl House will have premiered on Disney Channel. After that, it will hopefully grow into the hit cartoon that I think it has the potential to be. However, as I was browsing through Twitter yesterday, I found this tweet from Alex Hirsch. Apparently, Dana Terrace’s creation has attracted naysayers from part of the religious demographic:

I went on to read the article. It was just repeating verses from the Bible telling us not to dabble in witchcraft and that its a sin and that Jesus is our savior. In other words, a classic religious reproach to anything it deems weird or refuses to conform.

This is merely the latest in a long line of things to be persecuted by organized religions like Christianity. Harry Potter’s been a big target for people who think it promotes devil worship for years. Heavy Metal and rock and roll music were decried as immoral by people. I hear that when Pokemon first came from the West, people said they were encouraging demon worship and so on! In other words, Christianity has a very long history of being intolerant for those that refuse to conform.

Unashamed to Be Weird

According to this tweet from Dana Terrace, she went to a Catholic School growing up, and some of the other parents thought she was following the Devil’s path for reading Harry Potter. That basically qualified her as a misfit, which helped serve as inspiration for creating The Owl House. It’s a show about weirdos and misfits who don’t fit in with anyone else, like how Dana and a lot of kids felt growing up.

As we learn in this new teaser video, Eda and King are wanted in the Boiling Isles because Eda refuses to follow the rules. She’s a misfit who won’t let others tell her how to run her life and wants to live freely. From what I can gather, Luz is in the same boat when she comes to the Boiling Isles, never fitting in anywhere else. So, rather than be weird on their own, they all decide to be weird together

Us Weirdos Run the World Now

Personally, I’ve never been able to understand the reason why people get picked on for being different. From my persepective, being different is what helps the world move forward and makes life worth living. Look in any history book, and you’ll find that more often than not, its the people who go against the grain and think differently that have the biggest impact on the world. In other words, its the weirdos and misfits who can end up changing the world.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at cartoons in the last decade or so, and you’ll notice a trend. A lot of them seem to be encouraging people to be weird and different, and that you don’t have to do it alone. Gravity Falls: a family of misfits who end up saving the entire universe. Star vs. The Forces of Evil: a hyperactive girl who refuses to follow the Princess mold and ends up righting many wrongs in her world. Steven Universe: need I say more?

The point I’m trying to make is what The Owl House is trying to make: it’s alright to be weird. In fact, I’d go so far as to say us weirdos are now, ironically, becoming the norm. Things that were once niche interests are becoming mainstream. Which is probably why naysayers like the person who ranted about The Owl House can’t stand this stuff. Because they don’t want to admit that they’ve lost the fight to weirdness.

All right, that’s enough ranting for now, guys! I can’t wait to see the premiere of The Owl House tomorrow. Until then, stay weird, everyone!

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