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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMean spirited question posted on 'Dear Prudence' that elicited the perfect response ..
Here it is for your reading pleasure ...
I live in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country, but on one of the more modest streetsmostly doctors and lawyers and family business owners. (A few blocks away are billionaires, families with famous last names, media moguls, etc.) I have noticed that on Halloween, what seems like 75 percent of the trick-or-treaters are clearly not from this neighborhood. Kids arrive in overflowing cars from less fortunate areas. I feel this is inappropriate. Halloween isnt a social service or a charity in which I have to buy candy for less fortunate children. Obviously this makes me feel like a terrible person, because whats the big deal about making less fortunate kids happy on a holiday? But it just bugs me, because we already pay more than enough taxes toward actual social services. Should Halloween be a neighborhood activity, or is it legitimately a free-for-all in which people hunt down the best candy grounds for their kids?
Halloween for the 99 Percent
Dear 99,
In the urban neighborhood where I used to live, families who were not from the immediate area would come in fairly large groups to trick-or-treat on our streets, which were safe, well-lit, and full of people overstocked with candy. It was delightful to see the little mermaids, spider-men, ghosts, and the occasional axe murderer excitedly run up and down our front steps, having the time of their lives. So wed spend an extra $20 to make sure we had enough candy for kids who werent as fortunate as ours. There you are, 99, on the impoverished side of Greenwich or Beverly Hills, with the other struggling lawyers, doctors, and business owners. Your whine makes me kind of wish that people from the actual poor side of town come this year not with scary costumes but with real pitchforks. Stop being callous and miserly and go to Costco, you cheapskate, and get enough candy to fill the bags of the kids who come one day a year to marvel at how the 1 percent live.
Prudie
snooper2
(30,151 posts)First of all, who the fuck would want to walk an eighth of a mile between houses, then 100 yards to the front door?
You go where middle class neighborhoods are where houses are 30 feet apart and 80% participate in Halloween-
dumb dumb dumb, and fake but makes for a meme!
CrispyQ
(36,228 posts)I've heard this sentiment expressed many, many times over the years by the more well-to-do middle classers.
YarnAddict
(1,850 posts)but I very much doubt that someone with that attitude would write a "Dear Prudence" letter and sign it as a 1%er.
Fake, IMHO.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)a mean, cruel culture where money is GOD and the 1%ers are kings and queens. Protected by their 'open carry' mercenary army. Give me a break. Even if it is fake,which I doubt, in this current racial, political climate I'm am very sure many, many amerikans feel this way as expressed by the letter writer..
Proud Public Servant
(2,097 posts)Sen. Jay Rockefeller's estate has a servant's entrance that opens up onto the Crestwood neighborhood in DC, and he has his staff distribute goodies there on Halloween. It definitely draws folks from outside the neighborhood.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Only in LA.
Iggo
(47,487 posts)Pisses me off. My attitude is:
Buy some fucking candy, give it out to the kids who come to the door asking for it, and be happy. Or turn off all the lights, hide in the back room, don't answer the door, and go fuck yourself.
RedCappedBandit
(5,514 posts)Marr
(20,317 posts)That's where I am. The center of the trick-or-treating here is on the outskirts of the most expensive spots. If you're going to take a walk, that's just a pleasant place to do it. Well lit, low crime, wide streets, etc. I've never actually heard the gross sentiment expressed above myself, but it wouldn't really surprise me either.
Iggo
(47,487 posts)Commerce, Pico Rivera, SFS, Norwalk, La Mirada, Whittier...all the way up to the Orange County line (La Habra).
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Link?
Proud Public Servant
(2,097 posts)Dustlawyer
(10,493 posts)It makes ME HAPPY to be able to give out candy and see the happy, excited faces of these kids! Sheesh, some people don't know what is important in life and how to find joy in the journey. Negativity seems to turn some people on, I don't understand it and hope I never do!
Hepburn
(21,054 posts)...and, yes, many children who were not as fortunate as the children in our neighborhood came at Halloween. But...it was not just for the candy. Maybe the idiot who wrote the letter did not realize that in addition to candy and other treats, the houses where I lived put on wonderful Halloween shows...lights, screams, haunted house music and other things that all children enjoy.
I can remember seeing children dropped off in old cars and wearing inexpensive costumes, but I can tell you, my husband and I put on as much a show for these children as those who lived by us and those who were wearing costumes that obviously were created and paid for by professional costume makers.
That letter about being offended by children of lessor means coming to where things were better...unbelievable! Made me really glad that we always did for all children. I can tell you, all the parents loved it and so did all the children. ALLA CHILDREN ARE ENTITLED TO THE SAME JOYS!
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)Parents often look for neighborhoods where there are sidewalks, plenty of light, good decorations, and yes the best candy. That is part of it. The news usually will even tell people where the best neighborhoods are for trick or treating. The same thing can be said about Christmas lights. People jump in their cars and drive by the neighborhoods with the best light shows.
Vinca
(50,170 posts)Which neighborhood had more houses (thus, more treats)? Who is known for handing out bona fide candy bars and not the little ones? The planning was almost as much fun as the trick or treating.