XXII. The Tale of How Halloween Lost its Innocence -
/Halloween is an American tradition. Some of you Political Science majors who either disagree with bipartisanship or are international students, may argue that even juxtaposing the word ‘innocence’ with an American icon such as “Halloween”, poses an obvious oxymoron.
To you all I say - Ahwww Fooey!
Warning!: Rant ahead. Proceed with caution…
Yes, my parents let me savor the taste of pure sugar molded into small orange,yellow, and white-striped triangles, also known as “candy corn.” It is not that my parents just “let me have candy” as you, ignorant person, have so nonchalantly said as a subtle attack against American identity. And yet you deign to study at an American university!
- Said by an Int'nl Student -
- End of Rant -
I am not a patriotic person - far from it, I would foremost consider myself a New Yorker and then the hybrid Indian-Puerto Rican/Spaniard before I would label myself an “American.”
However, Halloween was a large part of my childhood and I frown at the idea of something I have so long associated with innocence being tainted by a false pretext under which people can dress only to expose, and ingest enough alcohol so that they get a hangover causing them to be immobile and as a result be more conducive studying?
That’s a stretch but, …. let cynicism reign!
Halloween for a majority of us “kids in America” encompassed the weeks preceding Halloween to be used to decide what we would dress up as.
We would choose a pumpkin to bring home as decor and know in advance which houses in particular we should make sure to trick-or-treat at.
Yes, “trick-or-treat” was used in the verb form of speech.
There was the house in which the parents of one of my older brother’s friend, mom in nightgown and dad in a matching pajama set. Year after year, without fail, they would distribute money to us kids.
There was the house that gave “King Size” candy bars - Yes, those were the days in which our metabolisms could support such calorie-saturated products.
We all remember that fateful time, 2001-2003, when the scare of anthrax being put into Halloween candy was rampant and as a result my mom volunteered to use our house as a makeshift Halloween party for my three friends and I - there was pizza, an early 1990’s audio - cassette of Halloween songs, and the lights were off to add to the ambiance - less than a minute later, the lights were on.
That was Halloween.
After the anthrax scare I was too old to part-take in the cult-like act of trick or treating and suddenly was thrust by life into the role of candy-giver.
Giving out candy was the designated job of the adult on Halloween - when you become a parent, your job now includes buying your child a costume and escorting his/her/them on their trick-or-treating outing.
That was the designated job until I came to college where I witnessed the tale of how Halloween lost it’s innocence…
The End.
Holler at your homefry -