Original story Always nice to see someone talking reason. It never ceases to amaze me that we, as a society, worry less about people who injure or kill children than those who touch them.
'Right kids, you've still got that list of local sex offenders I gave you?' Said Mum... Halloween is about Egging, sweets and being young, not worrying if someones gonna grab you off the street and have is way with you...
i hate halloween i just not see the point of trick or treating, Firstly its something they do in the US (i'm in the UK) even though its started to catch on over here. secondly and this is the important bit you wouldn't let your kids go begging door to door for sweets any other time of the year so why let them at halloween ?
Why not? It's just a bit of harmless fun for one evening. Kids have fun putting on costumes, we have fun handing out candy to the kids. I really wonder where all this anti-Halloween sentiment comes from? -monkey
I don't mind it when primary school kids come trick or treating for chocolates, but its annoying as hell when you have the local chavs looking for money (not chocolates) having barely bothered to dress up. You also have certain sorts who feel that its ok to smash car windows etc because they have masks on and feel they wouldn't get caught.
It it was kids, I wouldn't mind so much. But we've had fourteen and fifteen year olds knocking with just a trick or treet bag in their hand asking if they could have money instead of sweets. We've also had kids as young as six or seven knocking without their parents, that's the part about it I mind.
To be honest the third largest spend is still small, i mean... Christmas = |================================================================================================| Easter = |=============| Everything else = |===========| or something like that. At least in the UK Halloween is nothing compared to christmas. And more on topic, im anti trick or treating more that its begging than anything else. Have a halloween party for your kids if you really want to do something fun.
Honestly, I really feel as an American, that the anti-Halloween fear mongering I see every year is a product of two things... 1) The radical "Christian" groups, mostly in the American south, who are known for putting out lies (eg Jack Chick) to try and counter a holiday with "pagan roots" (which all modern holidays do.) 2) A news media that makes money off of scaring and shocking people. Glad to see an article blasting this "child predator" nonsense for what it is.
no kidding, the other day i heard on the radio that there was a pumpkin shortage in my town. I wasn't aware since i had bought mine a few days earlier. one woman was quite upset and was quoted as saying that she wasn't able to replace the pumpkins that she had already carved and put on the lawn. it seams that vandals had smashed all FIFTY pumpkins that she had bought. Holy crap woman!!! 50 pumpkins?? no wonder there are none for anyone else. anyway, back on topic. I have to agree with the article. There is a lot more danger of getting run over or getting beat up by a gang of kids than some pervert grabbing a kid with lots of witnesses around.
who ? and its mainly the trick or treat stuff. My kids get to dress up and have a copy of friends over for a film night with sweets and stuff but it's mainly the door to door bit that some parents actively encourage that annoys me after all if some one was to throw an egg at a house at any other time of he year they would be classed as a yob but if they do it when trick or treating then the person who lives in the house is classed as a spoilsport or a killjoy if they complain.
Things are a little messed up when haloween costumes are used as a cover for crime, and when teens come asking for money I guess alot of undercover cop patrols would be needed in those parts of the world during haloween. This sort of activity is disgracefull and needs to be stopped ASAP. I would not let it happen in my street. Around here, in melbourne, australia, it's pretty cool. Kids get dressed up, some costumes are crap, others are great, either way it's all good. We make sure we have at least 10 chocolates or little bags of small chocolates & sweets to give out. I like it, it's a bit of fun, a bit of atmosphere, and it's good to see the local kids having some fun whilst respecting everyone's front yards - no littering or damage etc. It's a good memory for them to look back on aswell, one that will only increase the repsect they have for the suburb they live in, which is a very good thing. That's how it is in the nicer suburbs anyway, crappy suburbs just don't see anything during halloween. I'd be happy to send my kids out at halloween, IF they wanted to. I would enforce the rule that they don't eat anything until they've come home and shown us. I don't want them eating crap that is out of date or not sealed in a pack. I also would be keeping an eye on them from a distance ~ a few houses away or so.
