You, sir, are an idiot.
My experience is that 10% of the kids get 90% of the candy. This year I ran low. Now I figured I could give each kid a little less proportionally, but that wasn’t fair to the kid dressed as Joe the Plumber, so…
Nope, I got nothing.
Hear hear, on both counts.
Halloween = a wedding? Um, wow.
Where’d I say that? I only said that both weddings and children’s trick-or-treating are occasions where it seems inappropriate to drag in politics.
No, you clearly implied that it was “just fine” for a man to marry a pumpkin. This is what we have to look forward to from an Obama administration, people.
Halloween is probably WAY more fun than a wedding.
I think it’s fucking awesome and great these kids are informed and learning about politics. The last thing we need is more people who don’t give a shit about the world around them
Does is bother you, then, to see children wearing crosses or other religious items to school or to weddings or other secular events? You seems to feel that children shouldn’t express views that they have received from their parents.
What it comes to is that this woman was being a bitch. The kids can’t vote, so why does she care about the Obama stickers? Does the thought that someone doesn’t share her political views mean that they’re not worthy of stupid Halloween candy?
I guess any people she knows with Obama bumper stickers won’t get Xmas cards from her.
Well, that does sound like the last twenty or so rumors started by the McCain camp.
I know exactly what’s motivating this woman. It’s the exact same thinking behind threatening your child with no presents at Christmas if they don’t pretend to believe in God or Santa Claus.
She can’t possibly be stupid enough not to know this would make the national, and probably the international, news. She’s a world laughingstock. But I’m sure she’ll get a letter of support from Joe the Plumber.
Personally, I was planning to be a Sarah Palin witch, but I couldn’t find a big and gaudy enough American flag pin to make it work.
My point is simply that political expressions are not appropriate for all times and places, and that trick-or-treating is one of the times when it’s not appropriate.
Specially if he wins!
Well, since you asked…I agree that it’s not ethically questionable, but I do think it’s tacky and rude. Trick-or-treating to me is one big neighborhoodwide party. At a party (unless it’s a political party) a polite person interested in fomenting neighborhood bonds and peaceful coexistence avoids the topics of politics, religion and finances. The Big Three topics that you shouldn’t discuss over dinner. Now I don’t think people should feel compelled to take down their lawn signs (although I’d probably take down mine for fear of it being a “Trick” target), and I don’t really have a problem with a kid dressing up as SuperObama, but putting a political sticker on an otherwise non-political costume is deliberately being provocative. Being politically provocative at a social function is rude.
I think the teaching opportunity missed here is, “Not everyone is going to vote for Obama, and wearing that sticker is like arguing with them. When we trick or treat, we’re guests at someone’s house, even if it’s just for a minute or two, and it’s rude to argue politics with your host.” Or something like that.
My kid was more aware of politics than I thought at a young age. When W was elected, the kid was 7, and he came up to us and said, “Is that the man who wants to make us fight wars and ruin the environment?” I’m not sure if he picked that up from overheard adult conversation or school yard scuttlebutt, but the fact that he had an opinion was unmistakable.
Please add medical conditions to that list.
I don’t think it’s ethically wrong to let kids wearing campaign stickers (or any other symbolism that they aren’t old enough to really grasp). But I do have to join in the chorus saying that it invites sticky situations.
A wearer of a campaign sticker/button is making a statement. If you aren’t prepared for negative reactions (however inappropiate), then you shouldn’t wear them. Most kids are NOT prepared for negative political reactions, especially from adults. Adults should know better than to pick fights with little kids and the woman in the OP is big-time idiotic, but why risk the confrontation in the first place?
I’d let my imaginary kids wear Obama stickers if I was certain every house they visited were pro-Obama. I would warn them to stick to the houses with Obama/Biden signs. Otherwise, it just seems like I’d be needlessly putting them at risk for unpleasantness.
Another since you asked.
Not "ethically questionable". More like wearing what the mainstream would consider traditional clothing to events like weddings & funerals...if most people wear tees and jeans, go with that. They are shared social events, not a time to make individual statements.
But all kids get candy.Wow.
Is it really that complicated?
If a kid shows up to my door in let’s say… a McCain/Palin sticker on his Optimus Prime Costume- I’d give him some candy, and then say good night.
That’s it.
There’s no deep thought that really needs to be put into the ramifications of why that kid’s wearing it, or who that kid’s parents are voting for or was he forced to wear it or did he choose to do so and if so were his parents’ influencing him and what’s the freudian analysis of his political choices at whatever life stage he’s at or whatnot.
SHEESH.
It’s easy:
Open Door.
Smile.
Say “How Cute” or some stupid comment, and give them the Candy.
Then CLOSE the Door and get ready for the next group.
Feel free to mock the child after they’ve left, or to bring it up later, but nothing really needs to be thought over.
If you honestly have to start analyzing the actions and political thoughts of children- then you are taking this election stuff WAY too seriously.
Hell, if I was still a kid and I knew some of you guys would get this worked up- I’d be there a few houses down from your houses with a MESS of stickers, and just ask every kid who’d pass by to hold on to a bumper sticker as they visited your house, and then ask for the stickers back when they finished visiting your houses.
It’s Halloween. If you’re over thinking it, you’re not getting it. Go watch the Nightmare Before Christmas or something and then come back. And when come back, bring candy.
Political leanings do tend to evolve over time, especially as one matures and learns about the world. I grew up in the SF Bay Area, but in a fairly conservative church. My mom has been a democrat since she first voted for Shirley Chisolm, and my dad has voted third-party since Anderson. His parents were from Missouri, and probably conservative democrats, but I’m not sure. Reagan seemed like an awesome guy to us at the time, and we followed the campaign enough to form an opinion about it. Not an unreasonable thing for an 11 year old to do, which was my point- that there are kids who take an early interest in politics.
I agree that this is the attitude everyone should take. But we know that we live in a world full of idiots and lametards, like the woman in the OP. Knowing this, it is wise for parents to do some thinking before letting their kids loose.
Hentor probably knows his kids and his neighborhood well enough not to worry about what would happen to them. But if he sent them out knowing that his neighbors were mostly vehement McCain supporters, I don’t think you’d have to be uptight to wonder about his judgement.
I liken it (somewhat) to religious expression. If you let your kids proselytize into areas where proselytizers aren’t welcome, then you should accept some responsibility when they are confronted.
It’s funny to me that I’ve lived for so long and been trick or treating with children for 13 years now and I was never aware of the sacraments of Halloween before! What a faux pas. (Of course, I never believed in the Great Pumpkin either, so I’m coming from a deprived background.)
I also never knew that wearing a sticker was inviting an argument. Now I know not to back down from all the people who put their W stickers on their cars. They are itching for an argument! Likewise, I’ll be sure to lay into the Jesus fish people too, since I disagree with the argument they are raising.
I am proud to know that my son is so much more advanced than most kids, who apparently are retarded when it comes to an awareness of current events and politics. I’m not terribly surprised because we’ve been discussing things such as the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution, the role of unions in America, progressive taxation and federal deficits and debt since he was very young. He’s also a kid who had no problem telling people in 2nd grade, when they asked, that he did not believe in God, and in third grade pointed out to school staff the hypocrisy of having Ronald McDonald come to school functions while also teaching about nutrition. If he’s not afraid of expressing his political beliefs, I’m pretty happy with the teaching lessons we’ve been through to this point.
Of course, I was also happy with the opportunity to have my son help me put back up someone’s McCain sign that I assumed had gotten knocked down that night. Now I realize that they probably lowered their McCain sign out of deference to the Holy Spirit of Halloween, and we inadvertently offended them.
BTW, I just discussed this thread with my son. He said, “Sheesh, it’s not like I went up to anyone and cut a B in their face.”