The DARKER SIDE OF HALLOWEEN

Discussion of general Halloween topics
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Haunted Horseman
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The DARKER SIDE OF HALLOWEEN

Post by Haunted Horseman » Wed Aug 29, 2007 1:57 pm

Dr. Strange breached this subject in a different thread, but I thought it would be better discussed in its own thread.

What does everyone think about stories you read every year about the criminal acts associated with Halloween? These are mainly acts of vandalism and in the rare occasions, something worse. One instance that comes to mind is the activities in the City of Detroit when there have been wide spread fires and destruction on the "Devil's night", the day before Halloween. Where I come from, we called it "Mischief night".

As I remember it, it was mostly harmless pranks, a smashed pumpkin here or there, car windows soaped up, eggs on cars, or toilet paper in the trees. Where I live now, I don't see this, but I do see a bit more mischief on Halloween itself.

Never was a fan of the egging or the smashing of other people's pumpkins. No fun in harming others. But I have to admit, I kind of giggle whenever I see a toilet paper filled tree. It always seemed kinda festive to me.

For the most part, I think the press overplays the whole "bad things" on Halloween angle and it gives the holiday a bad wrap.

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Larissa
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Post by Larissa » Wed Aug 29, 2007 2:17 pm

Well, that's true of everything in the press. You'll never see an article telling you that 8 million people were nice today. You'll see the couple of cretins - murders, rapes, robberies. And even with those, it'll only be the most heinous, sensational ones that make the news.

So with Halloween, you don't see, "Everyone Had a Grand Time This October 31!" You see, "Vandalism Reaches an All-Time High!"

It annoys me no end, as does the vandalism in the first place (Though I'm with you on toilet paper. As long as nothing is truly damaged or stolen, it's all good.). To me, Halloween generates a magnanamous overflow of good feelings, somehat akin to Christmas. I mean, when else can kids go out in droves, knocking on the doors of strangers, and be given free gifts? It's a nationwide party we're having! So anything to interfere with that is just so incredibly wrong.

By the way, where I grew up, it was Goosey Night, and I wasn't allowed out, more due to my parents' fear for my own safety than fear that I'd cause trouble.
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Post by tomanderson » Wed Aug 29, 2007 2:42 pm

I never thought about it, but that's one thing that Halloween really does have over Christmas, at least in terms of traditions. On Halloween, it's accepted that the fun is shared in a more public way--you can trick or treat across the neighborhood and beyond. Gifts are given regardless of who you are and where you're from, technically. During Christmastime celebrations, gifts are typically only given to people whom one already knows in one way or another.

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