Halloween horror and humor

Students voice their opinions concerning one of America’s most celebrated and controversial holidays

Christmas is a time of year when families get together, be merry, celebrate the birth of Christ and wear ugly sweaters without shame. Thanksgiving is a time when everything is pushed aside, people give thanks for whatever they have and turkey takes front and center as the dominant bird for a day.

Halloween – well, much like war, what is it good for?

The real question is, what is Halloween bad for? And the answer is everything. The basis of the holiday is dressing up and pandering for candy. Doing this at any other time of the year would make anybody look like a fool.

Photo credit: Abigail Bock

Photo credit: Abigail Bock

Not to mention that candy is about the worst thing a person can consume. That little triangle at the top of the food pyramid – it does not even have candy in it, that is how bad it is. It burns holes in enamel, which is the hardest substance in the body, and we still mindlessly shove it down our throats without conviction.

Not only is Halloween bad for health, it is bad for the wallet. For a stupid Halloween party last year, I spent more than $20 buying materials for a costume. That is $20 for about two hours of wearing a dumb disguise. It is gone forever, cannot take it back.

And my wallet is hardly the only one that feels the pain of Halloween. Parents must spend money on at least one costume depending on how many rug rats they have running around.
That is without even mentioning candy, which runs at least another $15-20.

Halloween is also a night for mischief and legitimate evil. Egging and TPing houses are age-old Halloween traditions. And that is harmless compared to the despicable people who mix razor blades into their candy, hoping an innocent child will slice themselves while reaching for their Butterfinger or KitKat. What kind of people do stuff like that?
At least Scrooge just hated Christmas and did not go around throwing grenades out on porches as presents. The ghosts of Halloween need to do a little more than scare those worthless people who attempt to hurt children.

The only people Halloween really benefits are dentists, who see an unconfirmed rise in cavities of 30,000 percent. When dentists are the biggest beneficiaries of a “holiday,” that day is doing something wrong.

Don’t dentists kill people or something like that? I know when I was eight, I would have gladly traded a giant sack of candy for a get-out-of-dentist-free card.

The party store industry also sees a rise in business. Again, not exactly the highest-quality industry. It is safe to say our economy is not going to go further into depression if we axe Halloween.

We do not need Halloween anymore. It is not bringing people together, celebrating anything in particular, or offering any real benefit.

Plus, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are all within two months of each other. Why not spread the holiday love to the summer when nothing happens?
Can it just be gone? Will anyone really miss it? Dentists do not count. – Tichenor

It is almost that time of year again, that time every child, parent, sweets company, grocery store chain and dentist loves. And that love stems from one source and one source alone — candy.

Kids look forward to the end of October because they can gorge themselves on candy and drown in a sea of sugar. Parents can make their children happy and maybe even sneak a few of those candies — the kids will never even know they are gone. Candy companies and stores make tons of money off the candy-inhaling vacuums called humans. Dentists, well, they may not enjoy the job set before them following the sugar rush, but they stand to benefit as well.

With so many opportunities and benefits available because of the holiday, who could possibly deny that we should celebrate it?

According to an article entitled “Halloween Fun Facts” on realsimple.com, trick-or-treating, as it is currently known, has been an Oct. 31 tradition for more than 60 years. So why would you want to deprive the children of such an important tradition?

Additionally, all Americans should celebrate Halloween because there are no other possible evil ramifications associated with the day. It is all about the candy.

After all, who really needs to worry about consuming several extra pounds of candy and hundreds of calories every year?

Americans eat approximately 24 pounds of candy a year, with most of it probably being consumed around Halloween, according to an article about Halloween candy facts on the Huffington Post. Additionally, Halloween candy contains all of our favorite ingredients and only a few measly calories.

According to leanitup.com, more than 10 popular candies, such as Butterfingers, Snickers, Starbursts and Skittles, all contain trans fat. Many of the top chocolates also contain 70 or more calories per fun-size bar, such as the 110-calorie favorite Reese’s cup.

But who does not like putting artificial colors, hydrogenated oil and hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of calories into their bodies? Or maybe having your teeth “bathed in enamel-corroding acid,” which is the result of eating candy according to livescience.com, sounds more appealing.

Halloween is not just about the kids, though. The holiday provides a much-needed solution to the problem of having way too much money on hand. According to the Huffington Post article, the average American household spends $44 a year on candy for the holiday. With the current state of the economy, it is such a relief to know that we can throw away money so that it does not burn holes in our pockets.

Photo credit: Abigail Bock

Photo credit: Abigail Bock

Parents can take satisfaction in knowing their children are happy as well. They use this opportunity to exercise skills such as comforting and cleaning up after children who get sick. Parents will be able to learn how to control kids who are a little too hyper from sugar and can even experience the inevitable sugar crash that will follow as well. Halloween is one of those hands-on learning experiences parents just cannot miss.

Outside of the personal benefits Halloween provides exist the corporate benefits.

According to the Huffington Post, more than 10 percent of annual candy sales occur in the days just prior to the holiday. That amounts to approximately $2 billion in sales. It is pretty obvious that candy companies and grocery stores benefit from the holiday. Is it not our duty to help these companies by purchasing their candy?

And how about the dentists? Without gorging on the Halloween treats, they will inevitably lose patients and be out of a ton of money.

We must be compassionate toward these innocent companies and dentists and help them out by celebrating.

Think about how your choice to not celebrate could lead to the downfall of America’s national grocery store chains and candy companies because they will not make enough money.

Americans will not be able to enjoy candy as they once did and will never be able to get the necessities found at grocery stores. Families will not be able to eat, and many may become sick because of it. Employees who worked at the companies will be out of work, and their families will be in anguish.

Think about the eventual closing of many dentists’ practices. Many people distressed by dental problems will not be able to get help. And, as was the case with the companies, the families of dentists that are now out of work will suffer.

If you still are not convinced, think about the kids and what will happen if they do not get to celebrate. Classmates and friends will ruthlessly mock them because absolutely everyone gets to go trick-or-treating.

So, in the end, you can do the right thing and celebrate so that children and parents will benefit, or you cannot celebrate and ruin the lives of thousands of people when stores and dentists close. Is it really that tough of a choice? – Brown

Ghosts and goblins, witches and devils, and zombies and monsters litter the streets one night every year, the only night that it is acceptable to walk up to a stranger’s house, ring the bell and yell “trick-or-treat,” expecting whoever answers the door to smile, gush over how one looks and then present free candy to grabbing hands.

Some Christians look upon Halloween as blasphemous, an easy and unobjectionable way for people to worship the devil openly in the streets. Once upon a time in a land far, far away, this might have been true. The origins of Halloween date back to the Celts in Ireland some 2,000 years ago. According to history.com, the Celts believed that one night a year, ghosts would roam over the land, causing trouble by damaging crops, but also allowing for the priests to be able to see the future.

Because of such beliefs, the night of Oct. 31 became known as a night to dress up in costumes and tell stories. Coming from this angle, it is easy to understand why Christians forbid their children to dress up like princesses or baseball players in order to protect them from worshiping the ghosts of the dead. Because, naturally, that is what comes to mind for children as their baskets fill more and more with candy.

According to history.com, the ceremonies of pleasing the spirits are not practiced in America these days. Children actually just want to dress up for fun and receive free candy. If Christian parents are worried that their child might begin to worship the devil as a result of chanting trick-or-treat dozens of times in one night, then maybe they are teaching that child that Halloween is all about witches and demons instead of having a fun night with friends.

An article from The Christian Broadcasting Network website, CBN.com, points out that parents should teach their children to not fear the decorations, costumes or ideas behind Halloween. Teach children the difference between the fun aspects of Halloween, which are dressing up and eating candy, and the potential dangers of the holiday.

“While children know right from wrong, it is our job to teach them and point out things that are not godly,” the article stated. “Yet, again, do not point them out in a way that will frighten them more.” – Webster

If parents are worried that their children might begin worshiping the devil as a result of dressing up for fun, teach them the falsehood of that concept. Not all involved in Halloween are participating to get in touch with demons. If parents desire for their children to enjoy a night of fun and excitement, explain to them it is not a night for devil-worship, and let them go trick-or-treating.

One comment

  • “Not to mention that candy is about the worst thing a person can consume.” … how about bleach? How about uncleaned lake Erie water?

    ‘nough said!

    Great pros/cons/ article!

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