# Resolved: People who are offended by Halloween are officially idiots. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 31, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849 "2009-10-31T15:00:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/61 "2009-11-01T12:11:34Z")
I’m not French, and I love _Starsky and Hutch_. I wonder if the witches who prayed over my kids’ candy missed this stale Zagnut? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/62 "2009-11-01T12:12:38Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It’s the equivalent of an atheist refusing to acknowledge that December 25th is Christmas Day. > > “I don’t care for it; therefore, it does not exist.” No, what I meant was that if I understood things properly, the guy thought there was a semantic difference between “Hallowe’en” and “All Hallows’ Eve” or “All Saints’ Eve”. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/63 "2009-11-01T12:35:23Z")
Nobody came out for Halloween here in “Bug Tussle”. I wasn’t able to hand out one single piece of candy. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/64 "2009-11-01T13:27:51Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > What if I think it should be called Samhain? Only if you pronounce it to rhyme with Kaitlyn (sort of). ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/65 "2009-11-01T13:33:53Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > You have fundie Americans in Bangkok? What the fuck are they doing there? Someone needs to fuck their heads off. Well, that **is** presumably what they went there for… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/66 "2009-11-01T13:41:50Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Then you should go full Celtic and [celebrate with bonfires, divination, and a full tilt end of harvest feast complete with spit-roasted sides of beef and pork](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain). Now that’s a Halloween party I can get behind. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/67 "2009-11-01T15:00:33Z")
> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#): > > Yes, as I was gleefully lighting our jack-o-lanterns last night, our neighbor felt compelled to tell me they are Christians and that her husband thinks Halloween is evil, though she likes it, and she and the kids all dress up and trick or treat. > > She also seems to fear that we are pagans or devil worshippers. I guess because we wear a lot of black and don’t go to church. We’re dull as can be–work, raise kids, do chores, but we’re somehow scary and possibly satanic. Sounds like someone needs an introduction to another Halloween tradition. Egging some asshole’s house and smashing a Jack-O-lantern on their doorstep. (Your neighbor…not you) Or if that’s not your style, tell them you don’t care what they think and the world doesn’t revolve around their beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/68 "2009-11-01T15:21:51Z")
Halloween is the most generous of holidays. People give. Most people do not compare what other people give. It just a giving time. Kids come by and you provide them with treats. What can be wrong with that? It is not like Xmas when people compare the cost of what they gave with what they got. It is devoid of cynical adults. It is just about kids. It has always been my favorite holiday. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/69 "2009-11-01T15:27:26Z")
I agree with the OP and everyone else, and I hope they will join me in being equally peeved at the idiots who insist on calling Christmas “the season” or “the holidays” or somesuch blather. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/70 "2009-11-01T15:37:14Z")
> [@furt](#): > > I agree with the OP and everyone else, and I hope they will join me in being equally peeved at the idiots who insist on calling Christmas “the season” or “the holidays” or somesuch blather. I always make sure my Christmas cards say “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” just because people get their panties in such a bundle over such sayings. 😃 Plus, the “Happy Holidays” cards tend to have prettier pictures on them (cardinals in a snow-covered trees, cute fuzzy animals in snow, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/71 "2009-11-01T16:09:07Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Halloween is the most generous of holidays. People give. Most people do not compare what other people give. It just a giving time. Kids come by and you provide them with treats. What can be wrong with that? > It is not like Xmas when people compare the cost of what they gave with what they got. It is devoid of cynical adults. It is just about kids. It has always been my favorite holiday. I agree. Halloween is the most pure holiday by far but also the most fun and least stressful. We make it a season which is easy to do around here. I take my kids go to parties, go to haunted houses and visit neighbors and friends on Halloween night. It is my favorite holiday as well (except I do enjoy those 4th of July fireworks). I wish the other holidays would look at Halloween and use it as a role model. It isn’t just for kids though. There are lots of adult Halloween activities around these parts. You should see some of the costumes those MIT students come up with. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/72 "2009-11-01T16:18:38Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > St. Nicholas does not come to the Rhymer house any more. After 2004’s ack-ack incident, he gives my airspace a wide berth. > > Not that that will save him. Sooner or later I’m bringing that fat bastard down, and his little deer too. Bun-Bun? Is that you? > [@Guinastasia](#): > > Candy prayed over by witches? No wonder those damned peanut butter cups are so freaking addicting! I dated a Witch and she never prayed over my candy. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/73 "2009-11-01T16:24:39Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Nobody came out for Halloween here in “Bug Tussle”. > > I wasn’t able to hand out one single piece of candy. ☹ Nobody came to our house, either. Whatever will I do with this large bowl of Reese’s Cups and Kit Kat bars? The only witch that has prayed over them is the Witch of Empty Calories. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/74 "2009-11-01T17:06:28Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > _Sigh_…I’m afraid that someday soon kids won’t get to have a “real” Halloween at all. All they’ll have is old boomers’ tales about acquiring pillowcases full of candy from friendly neighbors. Nonsense. I’m a gen-X’er and I have many happy memories of \*\*sacks_full_of_candy_!!! \*with which I can torment my friends’ children. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/75 "2009-11-01T17:17:17Z")
“No, child, no granola bars, none of that “high fructose yak droppings”, but pure, refined _sugar_, Florida white, weapons-grade hyper-juice! Did I ever tell you about the time your Daddy peed his pants in first grade? Well…” Many are the joys of aging, but they all pale in comparison to revenge. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/76 "2009-11-01T17:50:01Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > "No, child, no granola bars, none of that “high fructose yak droppings”, but pure, refined _sugar_, Florida white, weapons-grade hyper-juice! Citizen Cane! ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/77 "2009-11-01T18:48:34Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > I always make sure my Christmas cards say “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” just because people get their panties in such a bundle over such sayings. 😃 Plus, the “Happy Holidays” cards tend to have prettier pictures on them (cardinals in a snow-covered trees, cute fuzzy animals in snow, etc.). Besides, “neutral” December-holiday language (and cards) has been around longer than I’ve been alive, it’s not some newfangled PC thing. FWIW, similarly, Ray Bradbury was writing stories about a future where Halloween (and fantasy-themed culture in general, Xmas included) was banned, all the way back in the 1950s. There’s always been people willing to spoil everyone else’s fun because they don’t agree with it. > [@blondebear](#): > > All they’ll have is old boomers’ tales about acquiring pillowcases full of candy from friendly neighbors. Hell, a little longer and just the idea of friendly neighbors you can go visit is going to blow their minds. ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/78 "2009-11-01T19:03:04Z")
Guys, this is for serious. [Witches put demons inside halloween candy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVtolEvzlBA) because… of the… because they’re witches! In my childhood my family wavered back and forth between Super Duper Christian to only Somewhat Christian. There were a few years where we did trick-or-treating, and at home we gave out cans of Pepsi instead of candy; I think my dad was in some kind of “outdo the neighbors” competition. A few years later, instead of any of that stuff we just went shopping, and my siblings and I were given a few bucks to pick something out in lieu of the candy we’d otherwise be getting. Few years later, we had to keep the lights in the house turned off and hide in the basement to trick the trick-or-treaters into thinking we aren’t home. Because… demons, or something. Even in religious circles, it varies. My youth group leader was one of those crazy Y2K = armageddon people, but he got all into the halloween thing. Looking at it now, of course I think it’s all silly. Christians get very, very deep into the sentiment of “Yeah, modern Halloween isn’t itself bad, but it’s BASED on evil things, so we shouldn’t take part in it,” and overlook the fact that Christmas and Easter are based on pagan traditions (let’s count the number of christmas traditions that require us to admire or ritualize nature: missteltoe, yule logs, christmas trees, holly…), so if you’re going to say Halloween is bad because it started from satanists fucking small babies with razor blades or whatever they think, you have to be just as upset about every other holiday. You can’t leave your house without inadvertently participating in some historically pagan ritual or using some phrase with ambiguously sinister origins. You can’t spend time getting worked up by these things. The only thing that’s important is what things mean _now_, and right now Halloween means spooky things and candy and costumes, because it’s fun. If I had kids, that’s all I’d care about. Though, it’d probably be prudent to be teaching kids that holidays and traditions mean different things to different people, and that not everybody participates in them. But yeah, people who are offended by Halloween are officially idiots. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/79 "2009-11-01T19:03:49Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > I dated a Witch and she never prayed over my candy. You have my sympathy. (I presume that explains the past tense of “dated”?) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849/80 "2009-11-01T22:22:40Z")
I would add Hugo Chavez, who discourages celebration of Halloween in Venezuela because it’s American “cultural imperialism.” Of course it is, but lighten up, Hugo! :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-people-who-are-offended-by-halloween-are-officially-idiots/515849.md?page=5)