Halloween is Taking Over Oct

Quote: EvenBob

I'm not the one running around dressed in
kids costume on Halloween, are you?

That's what I thought :)

Quote: EvenBob

When do you think I grew up, the 1920's? I went
to college, I paid for it all myself. And getting a
teaching job is different in different states. It fairly
easy to get a job in Mississippi or W Virgina or Ala.

This is typical of people who leave adolescence:

Leaving Home
Becoming Financially Independent
Completing School
Marrying
Starting a Family

This is typical of people stuck in extended adolescence:

Still live at home or in a home paid for by parents or other family member
Still rely on parents or other family member to cover living expenses in whole or part
Still be enrolled in school in some capacity
Single
No Children

Its rocking the foundations of our society because
we're seeing these people often never leave adolescence
at all. They go on some kind of extended welfare or
fake disability and are, at 45, still getting drunk in the bar
every weekend, waiting for their lives to start.

In regards to adults trick or treating: Yes there might be some out there, but that's not the norm. Yes, that's ridiculous, but not what I was talking about. I just mean if adults dress up and have parties with their adult friends, that's perfectly fine. What I think is stupid is when my friends want to go driving on gravel roads at night, find an old small cemetary to creep around in. Just a little disrespectful and stupid if you ask me.

Also, you're telling me I'm not really an adult if I don't get married and have kids? THAT'S ridiculous. And what if I want a career change, and the ONLY way to get the career I want is to go back for a Master's in my late twenties or early thirties? I'm still a KID because I want to advance my career and get better pay. Sorry, but that seems a little dilusional.

I'm not saying there aren't ANY people stuck in extended adolescence, but to say you have to live a certain way to be considered a MAN instead of a BOY, sounds a lot like something else I really hate; religion.

Just curious, what did a typical college education cost when you went to school as a percentage of median income compared to today. I'd imagine it's a lot more expensive, and harder to pay for on your own.

I think Bob is talking about something like this:

Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole

Quote: Book Description

An apt sequel to Benjamin R. Barber's best-selling Jihad vs. McWorld, Consumed offers a wrenching portrait of how adult consumers are infantilized in a global economy that overproduces goods and targets children as consumers in a market where there are never enough shoppers. Driven by a frantic imperative to sell, consumer capitalism specializes today in the manufacture not of goods but of needs.

This provocative culmination of Barber's lifelong study of democracy and capitalism shows how the infantilist ethos deprives society of responsible citizens and displaces public goods with private commodities. Traditional liberal democratic society is colonized by an all-pervasive market imperative. Public space is privatized. Identity is branded. Our world, homogenized. With brilliance and depth, Barber confronts the likely consequences for our children, our liberty, and our citizenship, and shows finally how citizens can resist and transcend the civic schizophrenia with which consumerism has infected them.

I've read that book and it makes some very compelling points.

Quote: ewjones080

but to say you have to live a certain way to be considered a MAN instead of a BOY, sounds a lot like something else I really hate; religion. .

Thats what every 31 year old 'kid' living in his
parents basement says. 'Dude, I'm just waitin
for the right time, chill, man..'

Quote: MonkeyMonkey

I think Bob is talking about something like this:

Sounds hilarious :)

Quote: Nareed

Sounds hilarious :)

It's really a marketers dream. Imagine a teenager with a 50-60k/year income. What would they buy? Everything their heart desired. Now imagine working to keep 30-40 year olds at a teenagers capacity for decision making. Goldmine!

I've seen it in action, I have a 40 year old brother-in-law that goes on about video games like a drooling teen. Hilarious? Maybe. Pathetic? Definitely.

Quote: MonkeyMonkey

It's really a marketers dream. Imagine a teenager with a 50-60k/year income. What would they buy? Everything their heart desired. Now imagine working to keep 30-40 year olds at a teenagers capacity for decision making. Goldmine!

Very nice.

Now imagine an adult with a 50-60k/year income. Hell, imagine two adults, married, with children. What would they buy? Everything their children need and some of what their children want. Clothes that need to be replaced every eyar or so. School supplies that also need replacement. Vacations. Minivans to haul the children around. Food. Pets. Food for the pets. It's a goldmine!

Quote: Nareed

Very nice.

Now imagine an adult with a 50-60k/year income. Hell, imagine two adults, married, with children. What would they buy? Everything their children need and some of what their children want. Clothes that need to be replaced every eyar or so. School supplies that also need replacement. Vacations. Minivans to haul the children around. Food. Pets. Food for the pets. It's a goldmine!

Ok... I'm not sure what that has to do with Bob's or my point, but let's look at that list:

- and some of what their children want
- Vacations.
- Minivans
- Pets.
- Food for the pets.

None of these are necessities. The idea that they are speaks very clearly to the sense of entitlement that many Americans have.

Even things like clothes and school supplies can be purchased at different levels of luxury. No one needs brand name stuff, but it's marketed as the desirable thing and people without the maturity to resist buy it.

Back to the point of Halloween, I don't care if adults want to indulge themselves, but I retain my right to think it's silly and not do it myself.

Quote: JamieV

I think our society puts too much emphasis on higher education that teens and young adults aren't given a chance to make a decent living without one.

This is basically what Rick Santorum was saying when he said too many people go to college. There are many jobs in the trades where you can make a good living, and for some you can start with little or no experience and work your way in and up. But we get politicians who say how we need more and more people to go to college. And so many of them take useless liberal arts majors that will not help their employment prospecte insteaed of a degree that teaches some skill. Not-so-little Johnny comes out with a degree in English Literature. He can tell you all about Shakespere, but the guy hiring needs someone who can read schematics (sp?) to build custom items.

But the "we need more kids to go to college" march goes on, and High Schools kill shop classes where the kids learn they actually *like* learning plumbing. And you can't find a good tradesman, but there are kids camped at an OWS protest, deciding what to dress up for this Haloween.

Quote: AZDuffman

But the "we need more kids to go to college" march goes on,

Thats because college is big business now. They're
selling a product, and pricing themselves almost
above what the market can bear. There are numerous
lawsuits out their sueing colleges for overselling
their degree's.

hmm, i better start preparing my costume...

I could wile away the hours
Conferrin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain
And my head I'd be scratchin'
While my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain

I'd unravel any riddle
For any individ'le
In trouble or in pain

With the thoughts you'd be thinkin'
You could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain

Oh, I would tell you why
The ocean's near the shore
I could think of things I never thunk before
And then I'd sit and think some more

I would not be just a nuffin'
My head all full of stuffin'
My heart all full of pain
I would dance and be merry
Life would be a ding-a-derry
If I only had a brain

Quote: WongBo

Life would be a ding-a-derry
If I only had a brain

No doubt..

retailers love halloween, ask around.
what are you?
anti-business?and by extension
anti-american?

Quote: WongBo

retailers love halloween, ask around.
what are you?
anti-business?and by extension
anti-american?

I was amazed how well those "Haloween Stores" do in the 10 weeks they are open. And a huge chunk of it the last 10 days before. One guy I worked with managed one and told me how he could get people to buy some costume that was $150! He was so good at selling it that the regional manager would send him one from other stores (they had just 1-2 per store at that price!) and he sold those! He said it drove the other managers crazy, but of course if they want the profit they should have sold it themselves. My reaction was that if you spend that on a Haloween costume you need some kind of help.

Then again, I completely hate Haloween.

Don't get me started on the people in my old office who left Haloween Decorations up past New Years.....

Quote: AZDuffman

My reaction was what if you spend that on a Haloween costume you need some kind of help.
..

I totally agree. I would probably feel differently
if I hadn't been around before H-ween became
such a big deal. When I was a kid, there was a
lot of violence associated with it in some areas.
That wasn't good, but its a tradition thing. It
goes with the evil spirit intentions of the night.

I was watching a movie made in the 40's recently
and it had a H-ween scene, with grade school
kids dressed up and going door to door. Later
they were up to mischief, soaping windows and
smashing pumpkins on peoples porches. Their
parents weren't running around dressed like
Munchkins or pirates, it would have been ridiculous.
Like its ridiculous now.

Quote: EvenBob

I totally agree. I would probably feel differently
if I hadn't been around before H-ween became
such a big deal. When I was a kid, there was a
lot of violence associated with it in some areas.
That wasn't good, but its a tradition thing. It
goes with the evil spirit intentions of the night.

Over the years it seems like what you dressed up as has changed. Even when I was a kid the idea was you were a ghost/vampire/warewolf, etc. This was ending then, and lots of us went as superheros, etc. But the idea was to be a "spirit" of some type. This was in keeping with the religious theme of Haloween. Yes, haters, Haloween has a <gasp> Christian origin as the eve of All-Saints Day. "Hallow" means "Holy." Perhaps someone can get the literal translation for SWOD thread (I am not following it)?

So if you want to ban Christmas from the public square, please call for the ban of Haloween as well if you want to show consistancy :-)

This is also why Election Day is the-first-tuesday-after-the-first-monday in November. They didn't want Election Day to fall on All-Saints Day.

I only went to one H-ween party as an adult. It
was in the mid 80's, I was about 35. I had the
contract to deliver lost luggage for NWA and
they invited me to their party. These were all
people in their early and mid 20's. I went not
dressed as anything and they were all wearing
outlandish costumes and acting like morons.

I was appalled and stayed about 20min. Putting
on a costume gives you permission to act like
a 12 year old who got into the liquor cabinet,
apparently. This is when I started hating H-ween.

Quote: AZDuffman

I was amazed how well those "Haloween Stores" do in the 10 weeks they are open. And a huge chunk of it the last 10 days before. One guy I worked with managed one and told me how he could get people to buy some costume that was $150! He was so good at selling it that the regional manager would send him one from other stores (they had just 1-2 per store at that price!) and he sold those! He said it drove the other managers crazy, but of course if they want the profit they should have sold it themselves. My reaction was that if you spend that on a Haloween costume you need some kind of help.

Then again, I completely hate Haloween.

Don't get me started on the people in my old office who left Haloween Decorations up past New Years.....

It's big business for amusement parks, that's for certain. Halloween-themed weekends are extremely popular and the parks derive a good amount of income during a period that previously they did not.

Quote: EvenBob

I went not
dressed as anything and they were all wearing
outlandish costumes and acting like morons.

You have a problem with half-naked women, or women in skin tight cat woman costumes? Or was it fat men in skin tight costumes at your party?


There are more adults at Halloween time, partly because kids can't just go with a group of kids anymore. Else, they'll all be kidnapped.

It's like bicycle helmets. Non-existent when I was a kid. Now you may be accused of child neglect if you send little kids out without one.

Quote: rxwine

kids can't just go with a group of kids anymore. Else, they'll all be kidnapped.

Parents are way too paranoid now. Per capita,
there aren't any more perverts out there now
then there ever were. Its just you hear about
them more because of the net and cable TV.

My mother never went with us after we got
thru Kindergarten. No parents did. We just
went around with older kids, the 9 years olds.
I rarely remember seeing parents. Now its
all you see, they come right up to the door
with the kids, to make sure you don't expose
yourself or show the kiddies internet porn, I guess.

Idiots.

Quote: TheBigPaybak

It's big business for amusement parks, that's for certain. Halloween-themed weekends are extremely popular and the parks derive a good amount of income during a period that previously they did not.

The local amusement park here does just that, extends business well into October, on weekends anyways. People seem to like it. I'm not into thrill rides so I do not care. It was 20 years since I was at that park and only went because my brother invited the entire family. That was 5 years ago, maybe in another 15 I will go back again, but I doubt it.