a1625: Re: a1622: Dorce to Corbett...on Voodoo or Vodou...you brought it up! (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: LAKAT47@aol.com

In a message dated 04/10/2002 12:31:24 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
corbetre@webster.edu writes:

<< I would serious challenge that. Better know by whom? The mass of English
 speakers, and especially the primary audience of this book will most
 likely be seeing the spelling Vodou for the first time in their lives. If
 they know of the religion at all they will know of it as Voodoo the
 spelling of the religion of Haiti in all but specialist literature.  >>
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Then they will learn.  There is one way to spell Vodou to make it legitimate
and distinguish it from the travesty Hollywood has made of this real life,
viable and vital religion.
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<<[Fascinating little point. While I was proof reading these comments and
ran a spell check on it, my Microsoft Word program singled out Vodou and
recommended that I meant to write Voodoo!!]<<
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This is not exactly a ringing endorsement for accepting the distorted version
of the spelling of Voodoo.......they never got that from Haiti.  (by the way,
it is in my spell check dictionary because I added it!) To me, it's a matter
of respect.  If New Orleans practitioners want to spell it Voodoo, that is
their right.  But Haitian Vodou is Vodou.  It's just that simple.  I believe
it is better to teach people the proper way to address a religion than to let
them continue thinking of it in comic, derogatory terms.....voodoo
politics......voodoo accounting......dead, bloody chickens on
doorsteps.....dolls with pins causing excruciating pain wherever the pin
pierces the doll.  There is a difference between voodoo and Vodou.  Let us
all teach the rest.  Haiti has been much maligned, we can help in that small
way to tell her story and show people her dignity and spirit.  Thank you
Charles Arthur for your respect in this  and other matters regarding Haiti
Cherie.

Kathy Dorce~