I hate Halloween.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for costumes, parties and tricking; it's the treating part I hate. Why, when a huge percent of this country is morbidly obese, when heart disease is the leading cause of death, when diabetes is epidemic, when we know that fat-filled, sugar-coated crap is killing us -- why do we go ga-ga for gluttony? Or allow our kids to?
Trick-or-treating came to us, in altered form, from that hallowed country across the pond. One of their traditions, called souling, involved children and the poor going door-to-door, singing and saying prayers for the dead in return for food. We Americans love to modernize and sterilize things; presumably some combination of convenience and fear led us to only give out -- and accept -- shrink wrapped candy.
Delicious though it may be, this stuff tends to be several generations removed from anything resembling food. America is paying for years of eating junk; it's time to end this ridiculous tradition right now. Honestly, we might as well hand out sodas, booze and cigarettes to kids. Candy is an addictive drug, too.
I wouldn't have a problem with Halloween if we could marshal the desire to dislocate our jaws and swallow entire bags of chocolate the other 364 days of the year. But we just can't seem to keep our collective mouths shut. And you can forget about exercise! It's no match for candy: go for a one hour run and you've burned the equivalent of... two whole Snickers bars. For some kids, that's breakfast!
I've decided what I'm going to be for Halloween this year: the Grinch. Watch out, Whoville! Come to my house and get a recyclable cup of water! Or don't come.
Donna Henes: Holy Halloween: A Day to Dance with Death
http://inmyday.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/trick-or-treating/
and yes, fear-mongering (poison and razorblades in apples; distrust of anything without a wrapper) has gotten us the pre-packed holiday we have now...
[/sarcasm]
I give toothbrushes.
A scary number of decades ago, we were given home-made toffee apples, muffins and cupcakes. Our moms would bake for a couple of days before. Commercially produced candy was not as common.
Would any child be content with that now? What parents would even trust their neighbors enough to provide a homemade treat?
Rosanne: For the candy, there's no chocolete in Hell. Thats why its Hell.
Children these days are suffering from obesity, but it is not because of trick or treating, nor Christmas stockings, nor Easter baskets. It is because parents find it easier to just give kids lunch money (that the child uses to by junk food) instead of preparing a healthy bag lunch for the child. It is because of the meal habits in the home. Taking away one of the great joys of childhood isn't the answer, responsible parenting is.
The small town I live in now, about as safe a place as you are going to find, now sets hours for trick or treating, all of them before it even gets dark. Oh the howls that would have raised if done when I was young. People have become so obsessed with eliminating even tiny risks from the lives of children, while the greatest risk to children from their own parents and other family members continues.
* Candy, soda, booze
OR
* Veggies and recycled water
Here is the question that will answer why people are going for the candy: Which of the two rows on the list has a greater budget for advertising?
Yes, long ago, psychology professionals determined that most human beings are stupid at some level, and so the concept of Marketing was invented. Run an ad. Make it sound great. Convince Americans that bacon and eggs is an "all-American breakfast," and that America was founded by Christians. Get them to believe that Denny's is good. Then get them afraid of non-white people and demonize cannabis. Convince them that they must BUY, BUY, BUY, and then dictate to them WHAT they should buy and where. Finally, call in Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin.
These are but some of the many ills that we have in America that are a direct result of the malleable, marketable American mind.
Maybe you could convince the government that they should take education more seriously. But they won't; that would harm THEIR profits.
Best find a budget for healthy things.
So, read the article again, and don't forget - one hour of solid running is what it takes to kill the calories of 2 snickers bars. Kind of a shocking and painful thing to face, but facts often are.