The United States of Fear In Action: Spooked U.S. cities ban teens from Halloween trick or treating.

[HuckleB]

Some spooked U.S. cities ban teens from going door to door on Halloween
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5ibtYgkOX15S2WfNn7BxrTKfQ-KCA?docId=4914155

"Teenagers who trick-or-treat in some cities could face something more threatening than any costumed zombie or ghost — like the long arm of the law.

Some cities across the United States have adopted age limits — usually around 12 — for those who can travel door-to-door for candy and other Halloween fare. But while teen violators could face jail or fines up to $100, such laws are rarely strictly enforced.

...

John Womeldorf, a real estate agent in James City County, Va., has two sons ages 12 and 11. He said his 12-year-old is bummed that this will be his last year to trick-or-treat, but he looks forward to scaring kids who come for candy next year.

Womeldorf said he doesn't remember any such rules as a kid but see why they might be necessary now. "It is a different world than I grew up in so I guess we do have to have certain things like that in place to be enforced if needed," he said.

..."

------------------------------------------------


Yo, John Womeldorf, the world is different than when you grew up. For one thing, crime rates, on the whole, are much lower.

Good grief! The economy is in the toilet, too many kids don't get enough activity, yet this is the focus of some people.

:evilfrown: :grr:

[shraby]

1. I have no problem with the tweenies who are too old to

trick or treat but too young to have much else to do. When a group comes to my door, I have them sing me a song..usually Mary had a Little Lamb. They start out a little weak, but get right into the song then get their candy and go away laughing. One even said "that's cool" one year.

[HuckleB]

2. I've been reading Ray Bradbury's "The Halloween Tree" to my boy...

... the boys who go out trick-or-treating in the book are around 13, and there is no question that, at the time the book was written (1972), no one thought anything of it.

I love that you have fun with them! Nice!

[Warpy]

5. Yeah, I don't have any trouble with it, either

and I'd rather give them candy than have them go out making mischief because they resent being considered to be too old.

Most kids stop on their own after puberty when it becomes kid stuff they don't want to be associated with.

[reggie the dog]

19. I went trick or treating until i was in high school and

got invited to halloween parties

[LuvNewcastle]

3. There are some people in this country who

think that Halloween is subversive and a threat to Christianity. Many of these people feel the same about Mardi Gras. Both holidays were incorporated into Catholicism, but the church was never able to cover up the pagan roots of these holidays as successfully as they did with Christmas. Therefore, there are always some who try to ruin Halloween for everybody or stop it completely. Religion, for some people, is a very fragile thing and is seen by them to be constantly under attack. They must defend their faith against the devices of the wicked.

[HuckleB]

13. Indeed.

However, I'm not sure that this is about that. This seems to be driven by pointless fear.

[krabigirl]

22. Yep. Those people truly scare me. I don't care if they don't want to celebrate it.

But leave everyone else ALONE!!

[Better Believe It]

4. It's a Pagan holiday. Let's celebrate!

[johnaries]

42. You mean like Easter (Ostara) and Christmas (Yule)?

Actually, Halloween is a contraction for "All Hallow's Evening", because it was the eve of All Saint's Day. The Pagan holiday is Samhain, primarily a celebration of the harvest although some believe(d) that it was also the day of the year when the veil between Life and After-Life was the thinnest and when soul that had died during the year "passed over".

[walldude]

6. Ok this is bullshit but...

most teens are not into "Trick Or Treating" anyway. Once my 3 boys got old enough we started building a small haunted house for the neighborhood kids. We have become a popular destination for Halloween. It gives me and the kids something to work on together, we have a great time and they dress up and man the house to scare the older kids. Last year word had spread and we were getting carloads of people from other neighborhoods. This year is going to be the biggest, best yet. We are actually starting the work this afternoon...

[HuckleB]

9. Nice, but there's still no point in saying they can't go.

:hi:

[walldude]

11. Like I said it's bullshit...

Kind of reminds me of Juan Williams... "When I see a teenager in a Halloween costume I run away" :rofl:

[HuckleB]

12. Indeed! :) -eom-

[Morning Dew]

7. One year, a teen trick or treater

asked me for a light for her cigarette. I told her she could have candy or a light but not both.

That's probably a good cutoff point for T or T.

My Godson went out for a last Trick or Treat fling at 17... he and a buddy went over near the college campus and totally cleaned up. Lots of homes and not many kids.

[Generic Other]

8. These old hags plan to trick or treat

[HuckleB]

10. They're planning some nasty tricks. That much is for sure. -eom-

[Iggo]

14. Knock on my door. Say Trick or Treat. Get candy.

That's the deal.

[HuckleB]

17. I'm there!

There's a house on our street that offers jello shots for adults!

[Iggo]

18. The only adult adults that we get are the ones...

...who dress up their brand new babies and go door-to-door. Nobody thinks the candy is for the bebe, know'm say'n? They look so happy, bless their litte hearts. And the babies look happy, too!

[Jkid]

15. "Of trick or treating, she said, "It's better than them out drinking or getting into trouble." "

Is as if they want them to go out drinking, so that cops can arrest and then jail them. That's what they basically want.

[Iggo]

16. They hate teenagers, and that's sad. (n/t)

[krabigirl]

23. So many people do. I wonder why they even bother having kids.

I am looking forward to the teen years, myself. But I am a freak.

[name not needed]

20. There's money to be made in MIP citations.

[pipi_k]

26. Another point of view...

Really...does anyone here actually believe that teenagers will be forced to drink or do drugs because they can't trick or treat on Halloween?

Really????


Another point...

If an elderly person happens to open up the door to give candy out to what he believes is a group of little kids and is faced by a group of teenagers bent on Halloween mischief, what are the odds that he'd be able to fight them off if they meant him harm?

Little kids, at least, are chaperoned...or should be...by adults.

Teenagers would probably not be chaperoned by an adult.

Anyone here want to guess how pissed off the rest of us would be if our elderly parents/grandparents were assaulted by a group of teenagers out "trick or treating"? Perfect excuse for someone bent on mischief to do it...on a night when ringing someone's doorbell isn't cause for suspicion.

[antigone382]

31. You could make a law saying trick or treaters had to be accompanied by an adult

And it would be just as effective, without spoiling anyone's enjoyment. I went trick or treating with my cousins and younger brothers until I was sixteen. Part of the reason I was there was to help my Mom look out for all of them. I would have been devestated to lose that experience.

Besides, I highly doubt there are very many teenagers bent on accosting elderly people. The most I've ever heard of are pranks like egg throwing, which are obnoxious and reprehensible, but not widespread enough to justify a ban in my opinion.

[HuckleB]

36. I don't want to see a law like that either.

As for the fear push in the post you are responding to, offering up media made fears about elderly being accosted by teenagers is just simply outlandish BS, IMO.

[pipi_k]

40. It doesn't take very many....

it only takes one.

With maybe one or two accomplices.



Although I do kind of like your idea about requiring everyone to have adult supervision. Most of the kids I know would rather chop off their own limbs than be seen in public with their parents.

Trick or treating, no less...


that would solve the issue right there....

:7

[Iggo]

45. This is about tightwads who don't want to give candy to teenagers.

Not about teenagers attacking helpless oldies.

[Scout]

59. bullshit n/t

[HuckleB]

50. The "issue" is a figment of the imagination of the fearful, and those who use fear to control.

[HuckleB]

35. There's no actual indication that any teenagers have been bent on Halloween mischief.

That's the point. This is based on BASELESS fear. Nothing more. Nothing less. Your decision to increase that fear by offering up a "what if" is just as ridiculous.

It is ludicrous. Plain and simple.

[pipi_k]

43. Oh, I see...

It's always those nasty "what ifs".

So ridiculous. So ludicrous.

We'll just do the smart thing and wait till something horrible actually happens. When it does, we'll just say, "Oh, so sorry" to the friends and family of the victims, then go about our business.


And as far as there being no actual indication that teenagers are inclined to engage in malicious mischief on Halloween, I most respectfully disagree. When I was younger, two friends and I were accosted on the street by a group of older boys (teenagers) who grabbed our bags and ran. We were lucky that's all they did.

[HuckleB]

48. In other words, you're afraid of your imagination, & want to make laws based on that imaginary fear.

Yes, that is the very definition of ludicrous.

Your anecdote is meaningless for a number of reasons. For one, it could have happened on any night, and your ending of imaginary fear only shows the scary world you've created in your own mind.

[frylock]

56. why don't you start out by citing evidence that this occurs?

some news stories or police reports, for example.

i mean, using your logic, perhaps we should clear cut every forest in america just in case some renegade sasquatch were to murder some babies or something. i don't think we can take that chance.

[frylock]

55. that's why i keep my parents locked up in the basement..

safely out of harm's way. :eyes:

[eilen]

21. Age discrimination is against the law.

Where is the ACLU when you need them?

[Contrary1]

24. Pathetic...

Many years ago, we passed out free bowling game passes to the older kids. Didn't take long before the 16 and 17 year olds heard about it, and knocked on our door. We probably had 100 Trick or Treaters that Halloween.

As long as no one is causing trouble, what's the harm?

[pipi_k]

25. Hmmm....maybe it was just the area I lived in, but...

As soon as a kid got to be about 13 or so, s/he wouldn't be caught DEAD going out trick or treating.

I turned 13 in 1965.

Kids seem way more sophisticated nowadays...can't imagine too many teenagers thinking it's cool to trick or treat.

:shrug:



anyway, in some of the communities near me, they've pretty much done away with trick or treating for the young kids, instead opting for "Rag Shag parades" and parties afterward.

Sounds like good, safe fun

:)

[antigone382]

27. I still went trick or treating into my late teens, but I had little brothers and cousins.

Part of trick or treating for me was spending time with them and looking after them; candy was a small reward for making sure they all stayed safe. I can't imagine having it legally taken away from me at that age.

Halloween was a BIG deal in my family. I'm 26 and I have never failed to dress up, and I never plan to!

[Dappleganger]

29. Sound like fun!

Now our teens enjoy handing out candy and decorating, but they are mostly into haunted houses (we did HHN @Orlando last weekend), RHPS, parties, etc.

[antigone382]

30. That sounds awesome, too, I never really got to experience that side of things.

I always lived in the woods, or places where there just wasn't a lot of foot traffic on Halloween. Even as an adult I've mostly accompanied friends with kids (though of course I don't ask for candy anymore:)). I've gone to grown-up parties too, but Halloween is a holiday I associate with childhood, and it wouldn't be the same if I didn't spend at least part of the day surrounded by kids bouncing around, carving pumpkins, and showing off their costumes and their candy!

Building a Haunted House sounds like a blast. I'm betting if we had lived in a more populated place when my two older brothers were still in the house, we might have done that too. It's nice to see another family as thrilled with Halloween as we were!

[Dappleganger]

33. It's nearly as exciting as christmas...

and I love it because it's not centered around getting presents (except the trick-or-treating) but experiencing lots of fun with your friends and family (going out and doing things).

Oh, it's still lots of fun w/the little kids...nothing like dressing up your little one in their first black kitty or superman costume and making home movies. ;)

[HuckleB]

34. "Seem" is the key word there.

Kids are great at playing roles. They always have been. Just because they play at acting older, doesn't mean they're any more sophisticated. Back in the '70s and '80s, where I lived, kids went trick-or-treating well into their teens. As I noted already, Ray Bradbury wrote a Halloween classic about nine 13-year-old boys going out to trick-or-treat on Halloween. It came out in 1972.

[pipi_k]

44. Well I'll have to conduct a poll

of my young nieces, nephews, and family friends to get their opinions.

How many of them are actually going out trick or treating....

[HuckleB]

47. And that would mean what?

You missed the point of my post.

[Dappleganger]

28. Bunch of party poopers!

Teen vampires need their chocolate too!

[Iggo]

46. Fuckin A.

Kids are kids, man. Even the big kids.

[TK421]

32. This is just plain stupid, but the same can be said for lots of shit going on nowadays n/t

[Zephie]

37. this is completely insane! Why does America hate Halloween?

I've noticed the past few years that more and more, Halloween traditions are being stifled. It breaks my heart, Halloween was always what I and my friends waited all year for. I can't believe that they're denying children the right to have fun because they decided some arbitrary number was the cut off point. </RANT>

[HuckleB]

52. We've bought into media fear, over things that have never even happened.

[ellie]

38. Jesus, what a bunch of shit.

I hand out candy to anyone and everyone who shows up at my door between 6 and 8 on Halloween, costume or not.

[HuckleB]

51. Same here. -eom-

[IDemo]

39. I don't know if this was in my (red) area only,

but the religious wackos insisted, the last time Halloween fell on a Sunday, that it was blasphemous and demanded
it be observed by the blasphemers on Saturday instead. Result: two nights of trick-or-treaters. :)

[Odin2005]

41. FEAR, FEAR! TERRA, TERRA! HIDE THE CHILDREN!!! OBEY YOUR BETTERS!!!

:banghead:

My generation is far more interested in going to masquerade parties than egging houses and TPing trees.

[Taitertots]

49. Bullshit excuse to expand police interference with trick or treaters

Now the police can and will harass any youngsters they find during halloween. Get them used to putting up with bullshit young, while they don't have the means to fight against it.

[AmandaMae]

53. Yeah it's a different world- more paranoia and less actual danger.

What could kids slightly older going trick or treating possible hurt? I went until I was 13, but I know some people who went out just for fun and to get some candy until they were 16 or 17. big deal!

[HuckleB]

54. You Win! POST OF THE DAY!

Spot On!

:toast: :bounce: :smoke: :evilgrin: :party: :hi: :beer: :headbang: :yourock: :fistbump: :pals:

[Lyric]

57. I have no problem with trick-or-treating teenagers.

We even give candy to trick-or-treating college students. :)

I remember being 13, and going trick-or-treating. Some of the adults were really mean about it--neighbors, who were giving out candy together at the end of their double driveway. They didn't kindly tell me that they only gave candy to little kids--they yelled at me in front of everyone and told me I should be "ashamed" of myself for trying to "hog" candy meant for little kids. Then they informed me that I was already too fat, and should be worrying more about my figure and less about "hogging" candy.

Well, I was definitely humiliated. I cried about it all the way home, and then again all night. A sensitive kid getting publicly humiliated by strange adults never ends well. I was terrified of those people for years after that. Frankly, it was traumatizing. I don't know why people are so thoughtlessly cruel.

So now I'm an adult, with a kid of my own, and I have firmly resolved that MY house is, and will always be, a "safe" house for young people on Halloween. I will never humiliate or reject a young person for being "too old" or "too fat" or "too ANYTHING". I sit outside with the candy bowl, and whoever says trick-or-treat gets candy. Period.

[frylock]

58. that's awful..

we would have lit that place up with a flat of eggs!