Masquerade

Our family never celebrated Halloween. The first time I went "Trick or Treating" was when I was 22. Instead, my family always went to Chucky Cheese or Show Biz Pizza on Halloween with another family. And when I told this to my small group it was returned with the question, "So are you going to do that with your kids?" I'm not sure what to think anymore. Halloween used to be viewed as evil because it celebrated witches, ghouls, and goblins... things that are unmistakably symbols of evil. But I don't think that is true anymore. I think it may have turned into something worse.

In the early 80's Halloween was boycotted by lots of families, because the whole point of Halloween was to be as scary as possible. It was a time when houses got egged, "tricks" happened, and sick-o's were putting razor blades in the candy. Halloween was unabashedly a time were evil was celebrated. But thanks to the over commercialism of the 90's Halloween has been sanitized and the tomb whitewashed. Now, the child portion of Halloween is very safe and user friendly. Parents walk or drive their children to safe neighborhoods and to
houses of people they know and trust. In fact, a lot of trick or treating is done at business. But deeper than the candy in the bags, I believe Halloween has changed into a different species of the same genus.

Now the point of Halloween is not to scare, but to pretend. Halloween costumes now are not for people looking to scare others, but to be admired by others. Kids get to be who they really want to be. Little girls are princess; cheerleaders; Mrs Incredible and little boys are spiderman; jedi; Legolas. The costumes are now about heroes. Pro-skaters, Movie Characters, and most are not the villains. On the adult level this is true as well. And I do mean the "adult" level.

Every costume for adults is about being admired. Sexy Bar-wench, Sexy Snow White, Naughty Nurse, Bad School Girl, Sexy Pirate, Big Daddy Pimp, Knight, etc. The list of best costumes reads like a fetish magazine, and believe me the list is longer than the skirts. Halloween is not about being scary, it's about being sexy. The holiday itself changed into a giant masquerade ball. Everyone gets to wear a mask and each mask is a license to be someone you are not. What normally requires alcohol, requires only a slinky dress and some cat ears. What is normally taboo and pornography is just a costume and a party. Halloween is less reminiscent of the Adams Family and looks more like Mardi Gras. But it's not just the costumes. Halloween has become one of those Holiday's like Mardi Gras and Spring Break that communicate the message that you can dress up as someone else, go places you wouldn't normally go, and do things that normally you would regret because you are just playing a part. The part of someone who is cooler, sexier, and more fun than you really are.

So I'm faced with the dilemma. Would I let my kids celebrate? It doesn't seem Halloween is about witches and warlocks anymore, but I'm afraid it may have become something much more dangerous. Evil that looks cute with those shoes.

(Take your time with this one, I don't have kids yet, I suppose I should get a girlfriend first.)