Halloween

Tomorrow is Halloween.  Sadly, it is an annual event that has come into its share of controversies instead of being a mere pleasant diversion where kids dress in spooky or imaginative costumes, and neighboring adults give them candy.

Like our idiot Republicans and Democrats who manage to find things to squabble over, there's a grab bag of views that go against the old advice to live and let live:

1)  There's the evangelical Christians who see Halloween as a pagan celebration.  As a result, they pressure schools into having Fall Festivals or Harvest Festivals instead of Halloween Carnivals.  As a further consequence, they discourage the wearing of costumes on Halloween at these occasions and allow kids some pale imitation of the real deal.

[Okay, it was once a pagan festival.  But, like other occasions, custom has denatured it of its origins.  We also celebrate Christmas, never mind its origins, and Cinco de Mayo even though we're not Mexican.]

2)  Then there's the complaint about sexy Halloween costumes.  Now it seems to me that simple common sense should distinguish between a sexy costume worn by an adult to an adult occasion, as opposed to a tween wearing one.  In other words, it's okay to go as a sexy French maid or witch if you're older, but don't have your tween go out like that!

3)  As for trick-or-treating, some adults get snippy if they judge the person in general to be to old to trick-or-treat.  Some are very gruff with teen trick-or-treaters because they see trick-or-treating as strictly for the age ten or below group, especially unaccompanied by adults.

As a friend of mine put it back then, "If you look like you have boobs, then forget about it!"

4)  Some tricks, I'm sad to say, lapse into vandalism.  And not just those done by adolescents.

5)  People who oppose Halloween on religious grounds have the perfect nonconfrontal way of avoiding issues: leave your porch light off and don't answer the door.  Don't give trick-or-treaters some goddamn tract!

Anyway, I've said my peace.  For my next post I promise to be less grumpy.

And I'll pass out Halloween candy to all comers, even guys in their sixties.  Though I expect they would rather a mixed drink.