4 ms·
It's ironic that, while the fear-mongering is stupid, much of the advice given is actually pretty sensible. > But instead, most Halloween articles to this day
by ggchappell 16y ago
It's ironic that, while the fear-mongering is stupid, much of the advice given is actually pretty sensible.
> But instead, most Halloween articles to this day tell parents to feed children a big meal before they go trick-or-treating, so they won't be tempted to eat any candy before bringing it home for inspection.
Sounds like a good idea to me. Eat healthy food, so you won't be tempted to eat unhealthy food.
> Face paint so no mask will obscure a child's vision.
You know what? Wearing a mask isn't fun. Sure, it's fun for 30 seconds in the store. It's also fun for 30 seconds after you put on your costume and say, "Look at me, everyone!" But after that, yes, it obscures your vision. It makes your head hot. It pokes you relentlessly in irritating places. It itches, and it makes it difficult to scratch.
So my take on all this is that the trend away from masks (which, sadly, I think has been starting to reverse in recent years) means that a lot of kids have had more fun on Halloween then they would otherwise have.
And, by the way, masks also make photographs less interesting. "Here's my kid's Halloween costume. Yes, the kid's inside it. Trust me."
(EDIT: Yes, I know the fear-mongering is stupid. I said as much.)
- anateus 16y agoIn addition note that your approval of the advice hinges on a completely different goal from that presented. So it's not just the fear-mongering that you're ignoring, you're also ignoring the fact that it only happens that some specific "rules" please you. Your preferences are utterly unrelated to what caused whomever to formulate those rules.
- msbarnett 16y agoIt's the means, not the ends, that are being criticized here. Fear-mongering is poisonous whether or not you happen to like the end result. Having a big healthy meal to encourage healthy eating in preference to gorging on junk food is fine; having a big healthy meal so that your kids won't touch candy before you can check it for DEADLY POISONS and RAZOR BLADES is ridiculous and promotes an irrational fear of the community in which you live. Similarly, not wearing a mask because you don't like masks is fine; not wearing one because MASKS MIGHT KILL YOU is deeply silly and strengths the disconnect between perceived and actual likely risks.
- ggchappell 16y agoThus, the irony. Thus, my comment.
- jamesbkel 16y agoI agree with all those arguments in general, but the article was targeting fear-mongering and an irrational approach to risk, not halloween etiquette and general rules reg. raising a child.