This article on the Huffington Post seeks to dispel myths, misunderstandings, & outright lies about voodoo. (Which apparently is supposed to be spelled 'vodou.') It starts off like this (if you don't want to click):
Voodoo isn’t accurately portrayed in most movies, TV shows, & books. Even some documentaries & non-fiction books are misleading. Voodoo isn’t a cult, black magic, or devil worship. People who practice Voodoo are not witchdoctors, sorcerers, or occultists. Voodoo isn’t a practice intended to hurt or control others. Most Voodooists have never seen a “Voodoo doll” (unless, like you, they saw it in a movie).
Voodoo isn’t morbid or violent. Voodoo isn’t the same everywhere. Not everyone who practices Voodoo does it in exactly the same way or agrees on exactly the same things.
& you know what? I'm cool with that. I'm not going to do a radio show this week that attempts to clear up misconceptions about voodoo. & you know why? Because it's Halloween!
Self Help Radio has done shows about monsters, vampires, werewolves, & mummies. Those things don't exist. We've done shows about haunted houses & hell. There's no such thing as ghosts & there's no such thing as hell. But that didn't stop the fun!
That's the thing that makes people fear Halloween: they believe in things like demons & ghosts & monsters. It's certainly the most childlike of holidays because when you're a child you not only fear such things but there's a part of you that really, really wants the world to be like that. The world of Stranger Things is pretty terrifying, but those kids are having the time of their lives.
Now, I doubt anyone who practices vodou (or even voodoo) will hear or find this show of mine, but I hope they'll take it in the spirit of Halloween. I want the shows to be more fun than scary. & of course I want them to be a little scary. That's part of the fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment