Shutting down Halloween because of...mexicans.

Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by Robert_S, Oct 26, 2014.

  1. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    Optional spelling. Check the dictionary.
     
  2. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    You beat me to it. :)
     
  3. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    It's the Lounge, we chat about things other than writing here.

    Welcome to the forum. :)
     
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  4. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    I did. And the only reason "bussing" is gaining grudging acceptance is that so many people misspell it, because of the generalization that a single s would cause it to be pronounced BYOO-zing.

    The most regular feature of English is its irregularity.
     
  5. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    Language evolves.
     
  6. Lemon flavoured

    Lemon flavoured Active Member

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    That's what is pretty cool about English. Of course it also makes it harder for people to learn as a second language.
     
  7. Russo

    Russo New Member

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    Halloween isn't the same that it used to be. I'm not sure of anywhere else, but here in the US, it was a popular thing for the parents to "check the candy" before the children devoured it - I'm sure that has a lot to do with door-to-door being less popular now-a-days.
     
  8. chicagoliz

    chicagoliz Contributor Contributor

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    I'm not quite sure what you mean here. Are you saying that trick-or-treating itself is less popular now than it used to be? And that it is less popular because parents used to check the candy?

    My experience has been different. I now live in a neighborhood that is comparable to the type of neighborhood where I lived as a kid. Trick or treating itself seems to be about as popular with the kids now as it was back when I was a kid in the 1970s and 1980s. I'd say there was almost more of a paranoia then about contaminated/poisoned candy than there is now, although now there are absolutely NO homes that give away any sort of homemade treats.

    Halloween itself is a little different. On the one hand, I see a whole lot more Halloween/fall/harvest festivals through the whole month of October than I recall ever seeing as a kid. (But I live in a different metropolitan area, and I don't know how much of the difference is attributable to simply the different area versus a different era). But, as a kid we had a Halloween parade and a party in school on Halloween. We brought our costumes, dressed up and had a parade in the afternoon, and afterwards a party where people had brought in cupcakes, rice krispy treats, cookies, etc. It was my favorite day of the year. My son's school does none of that -- no costumes and no parties in school. It makes me kind of sad.
     
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  9. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    My neighborhood is totally mixed.

    7 pm: First batch of kids, huge group, older kids dressed up taking the little kids out, all black, a variety of costumes. Very polite for a huge group of arms all reaching for the candy bowl at once. I think there was one parent with them. Parent stayed at the street.

    Second group, three little Asian girls, all dressed in little princess outfits, two adults with them at the street. One girl was too polite to take three, she only took one candy. I tell all the kids to pick three from a big bowl.

    Third group, one little boy with his mother, Indian or Pakistani descent, mother came halfway up the driveway. Kid was dressed as a cop.

    Total investment: $8 in candy and about 20 minutes putting lights and decorations out. I have one string of strobe lights that makes the usual howling sounds and harpsichord music. I push the button when I answer the door.

    It's 7:20pm.
     
  10. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    No more kids until 8pm: Two young white kids with mom or grandma, all three come to the door. I turn on the sound and they both want to come in to see the man making the noise. One asks me if I had a beer. I tell him, "no, I had a glass of wine." The girl takes three candies, the boy only wants one.

    Reminds me of my son the first time I took him out trick or treating. A neighbor put candy in his bucket and he was bewildered people were giving him candy.

    Two more groups in rapid succession. Two older white kids, parent at the street, polite, nothing stood out.

    Three Asian boys, a father with them came half way up the drive way. They liked the sound maker.


    I hope no one is bothered I'm noting ethnicity. The sample sizes are too small to be significant. I just thought it would be interesting to tweet the encounters given the thread OP. So far none of the groups were mixed ethnicities.

    8:05pm, another white family group. Very pregnant mom and one of the dads came to the door with the kids. Two more adults stayed at the street. Two kids nothing remarkable and one toddler that the pregnant mom was helping. Toddler took a candy with some coaxing then halfway down the driveway threw it on the ground. :agreed:


    Dang, I hope more kids come. Wish I told them all to take more candy now. But in this neighborhood you never know. Last year the large bowl was gone by night's end but other years we've had as few as 2 groups.
     
  11. A.M.P.

    A.M.P. People Buy My Books for the Bio Photo Contributor

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    I was taught in school that Halloween is in decline due to the scare the media portrayed back when about a child being killed by razor/poison candy that his own grandparents gave him (purposefully) so ever since parents "check" the candy for tampering and even started "safe" neighborhood trick or treating (Basically a list of "safe" houses) or just did it in a community indoor setting...
     
  12. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    8:25: another larger group, and the first one that is mixed, black and Middle Eastern. The adults have costumes on, come to the door, but don't take candy. All the kids take 3 except one who takes 3 then stays next to the bowl and takes several more. Kids can't resist, and I didn't care because the bowl is still half full and I want more of it to be gone. But I think it's interesting of all the kids, two were too polite to take more than one and only one so far took more than 3.

    I should mention, still no Hispanics despite the fact there are many in this city.
     
  13. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    8:44 - Three girls come to the door, white, two school age, one much younger. This is the first group where the parents are driving along rather than walking with the kids. I told the girls to make fun of the parents driving instead of walking with the kids. I know people who do that, drive - stop and go - while the kids go door to door.

    ... Or this could be one of those 'not from the neighborhood' groups. Oh the horror of it. ;)
     
  14. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    9pm time to turn the lights out. At least the bowl is down to one layer of candy at the bottom. All and all a successful All Hallow's Eve. But still no Mexicans. :wtf:
     
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