Volume I, Issue 36
February 9 - February 16, 1998

What is voodoo, anyway? I've seen it represented in "Angel Heart" and "Live and Let Die," and I've heard it associated with the scarier sets of Tarot cards. On occasion I've caught late-night movies in which snickering villains bend and prod wax dollies thus causing hapless victims to suffer broken limbs and piercing pain. As Peggy Lee might ask, is that all there is? Or is voodoo something more approachable, more real? Thank, um, Chicken that this article about a New Orleans voodoo exhibit provides some answers.

Speaking of spooky rituals, imagine an activity in which you enter an imposing edifice, gather into a tight group, wear strange footwear, and follow a cryptic set of codes while imbibing potions. Imagine further that each member of your congregation must step up to a magic ceremonial line and attempt to destroy ten icons of vaguely human form while avoiding the hellish pits that loom on either side. Brrrr! Anyone want to go bowling?

If you think that ritual sounds evil, get a load of this: Many of our culture's youths spend countless hours secretly fixating upon icons of consumption. These icons have nothing to do with established religion as we know it, but rather revolve around the primal thrill of sensation and the cult of mastication. Full mythologies have sprung up around these edible gateways to adult sin. Kids call them "sweets," but we know better.

Scariest of all, have you heard about the children's narcissism movement? Following a depraved ideology in which they worship nobody but themselves, young people roam through our cities asserting their spiritual dominance by leaving codified versions of their own names wherever they go. Some call this diabolical blasphemy "graffiti," and it's even starting to rear its ugly, hydra-like head on the Internet. Egads, get me out of here!

Now What?
A gallery of captivating links to keep your imagination churning while the paint dries. [13]

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