John Aaronovitch 's Voodoo Histories

Fear stalks humanity wherever it goes. It feeds on our panic and uncertainty. This is seen throughout 1692, the 1950s, and the present, when a leader with great power creates a solution to a problem that people did not even know they had to fear people begin to fear as well as the cycle of innocent people falsely confessing adding to the fear.

1. Identify and describe the ways that the Voodoo religion has been represented in popular culture and media. What assumptions do you hold concerning Voodoo and similar magical practices?

In this case it was a group of people. I the play is was the people of Salem and the fear of witchcraft and be accused, for McCarthyism it was the same but instead of be accused of witchcraft you would be accused of un-American activities. This is why I feel the theme of Hysteria is a good way to connect the play to real events.

Writing tactics can be hard to implement when trying to get the audience to feel something; Miller shows his purpose for using hysteria wisely when executing the use of hysterics. He knows how to make the audience react to his writing and mass hysteria was the perfect way to do it. The Crucible can show readers the reality of emotions in today’s society. Christopher Bigsby in his critical study said, “Beyond the question of witchcraft lies the more fundamental question of a human nature for which betrayal seems an ever-present possibility. The Crucible reminds us how fragile is our grasp on those shared values that are the foundation of any society” (The Crucible, Bigsby). The Crucible can remind the world about how hard it is for people to think for themselves sometimes. Trust

Perfectly sane minds possess the possibility of creating the most fascinating narratives. Conspiracies are a way to react to being powerless or uncertain. Economic recessions, terrorists’ attacks, and deaths of the young and famous happen and when they do people do not know what to think or believe. Their minds react in overdrive

Not all is known and the facts passed down may not reveal the whole truth. History is biased and can easily be manipulated by those with more power, and it is a modern historian’s job to weed through the commonly accepted information, and try to find the truth. If the truth is not found, then they present alternative theories to broaden the world’s knowledge on the possible course of events in the

Black magic’s influence within African cultures is no surprise when taking a look at the culture itself. Known as Vodou in Haiti, which later evolved into the practice known as Voodoo in the United States, along with Conjuring, also known as the practice of Hoodoo which evolved from West African countries such as Ghana, the practice of black magic persistently played a role in African culture constantly following the dispersal of Africans worldwide throughout the past centuries. Throughout a multitude of societies in the world, specifically places with backgrounds connecting to African heritage, it is evident that forms of black magic have played a role in their past. While examining the history and trade of black magic through a multitude

In 1605, a group of young and angry Catholics decided that they had enough of King James I, and decided to take over the kingdom of England. They planned to destroy the Protestant government by murdering the most important men in the kingdom. Many people since think that the Gunpowder Plot was a conspiracy theory to make the Catholics even more unpopular in society. Others think that the traditional story that they had been taught for generations was true. In order to find out we have to consider the actions that make the Gunpowder Plot look like a conspiracy theory and the traditional story.

These witch hunters found their witch or monster in Muslims who they suspect of participating in terroristic activities. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s “Monster Culture” describes the foundation in the creation of a monster which can be applied in the demonization of Muslims in the eyes of paranoid Americans. The inability to understand these cultural difference begins Western assumptions about Muslims and their beliefs. Muslims as a whole wrongly become a “monster” which inspires unjust savagery in retaliation by paranoid Americans who fear terrorism. The government itself is guilty of political paranoia in which the witch hunt for terrorist which hurts the American people (including Muslims) it is attempting to protect as well non-American Muslims. The historically paranoid behavior of the government is documented in "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" by American historian Richard J. Hofstadter, which describes the government’s previous monstrous activity is used to capture other monster as a result of paranoia. The paranoid government can become the monster that it fears. Political paranoia is evident by the actions by the American government and some citizens who interpret terrorism to be "against a nation, a culture, a way of life whose fate affect not himself alone: but millions of others” (Hofstadter 4). Though terrorism is a threat, Americans have disregarded ethics and morals as they hunt for terrorist creating their own monsters. The creation of monsters from paranoia that must be hunted changes the hunters into a monster themselves. Historically with the Salem witch trials, it has been seen that paranoia is a dangerous force and motivator for behavior causing a needless loss of live. Paranoia and fear must be controlled in order to prevent it from guiding one’s actions into

Fear can lead people to believe nothing is as it seems and draw their own conclusions about political issues exaggerating or altering the “truth”; “everybody wants to believe that everything is not random and that somebody has control” (Katel 893). Conspiracy theories emerge from the necessity of explaining rare events or apparent coincidences, and its bases are mainly fear and distrust of government and leadership. Not all conspiracies are harmless, and since they spread so easily and quickly, they might represent a threat to the society (Katel 901). The first American conspiracy, for instance, was introduced in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, when 20 women and men were executed since people accused them of being witches (Katel 893). As long as people feel frightened, they would act irrationally appealing to support conspiracy theories. In this case, fear is not the only motivation to believe in conspiracies, but also hate is an important

If you’re like most folks, who have been socially conditioned in The United States, you will think of the word, “Theory”. This brings two words together creating the phrase, “Conspiracy Theory”. The term was first used the night of November 10th, 2001 by President George W. Bush. "We must speak the truth about terror. Let us never tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of September the 11th; malicious lies that attempt to shift the blame away from the terrorists, themselves, away from the guilty. To inflame ethnic hatred is to advance the cause of terror." –President George W. Bush. With this said, George W. Bush literally crushed the credibility of any “Conspiracy Theory” that may ever present itself in any public setting, or conversation regarding the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. In Phrase, “conspiracy theory” there are two words, the first being “conspiracy”. The active word, “Theory” next. By definition, a theory is only an Idea, a Concept, or a Hypothesis. For example, in theory, if one were to buy a Lottery Ticket, that person could win a lump sum of money. Now, without buying a lottery ticket, the chance of winning is only “Theoretical”. However, once the ticket is bought… the chance of that person winning is now a possibility. With the purchase of a lottery ticket, a winning chance changes from a theory to a possibility. With that, one can determine that if more tickets are bought, the chance of winning progressively becomes more likely of a possibility. Now we can use this same model, on the idea of “Conspiracy Theories”, as long as there is no evidence presented, such claims remain as “Conspiracy Theories”, forever. However, once the smallest piece of evidence is presented, no matter how insignificant or circumstantial that piece of evidence may seem, the once called “Conspiracy Theory” becomes a possibility. Once more and

The polity of Voodoo is complicated. Voodoo lacks a form of central government, however, it can be compared to that of the Episcopalian church. The structure of Voodoo consists of many priests and clergy who are in charge of the temples. These temples are autonomous, meaning, they are self-governing or independent (Webster, 5). It is the responsibility of the Voodoo priest to organize and conduct each ritual and religious service (Corbett).

David Aaronovitch debunks common conspiracy theories and explores the reasons people are fascinated with these absurd beliefs in Voodoo Histories. After stating a recorded event and a corresponding speculated belief, the author moves toward depicting logical flaws in the belief of the speculated event. He often points out the principle of Occam’s razor that suggest the most simple, rather than complex, hypothesis is the truth. If a theory seems far-fetched in that the plot is quite convoluted and elaborate and assumes there is little to no error done by the executioners, then the theory is unlikely and false.

It is easy to look back at history and see a clear pattern and relation between different cultures, objects, rituals, etc. When you take a deeper look into origins, you’ll often be surprised by what you find. Minkondi (plural for nkondi), are sculptures made and used in the 19th century by African cultures. They served a very specific purpose and had a very sacred importance. The Nkisi Nkondi functioned as a hunter-healer of conflicts. The people would take their worries, requests and fears to the figure to call on the spirits. Voodoo dolls on the other hand, are often misunderstood and misrepresented. The Voodoo doll is a ritualized way of calling on spirits to target a specific person. The doll can be used a number of things including luck, power, love and most commonly recognized, for evil and harm. The Nkisi Nkondi sculptures and Voodoo dolls, even though they are from different cultures and time periods, have a number of similarities and one may have influenced the creation of the other.

Voodoo is a religion rich in heritage and founded in faith and community. The religion has been villainized by western culture and has been wrongly portrayed as malignant and dangerous. The religion is not founded in any of the (known) "black magics" or fear popularized by Hollywood films, but rather it is based on balance and tradition. The religion is not something that should be encountered with inhibition or fear induced from childhood horror stories, but embraced for its strength and history.