If it were possible to enforce, do you agree that Trick or Treating should be banned?

Question

Do you know what would be really interesting? If you could state in your answer whether you are from the UK or US or another country. It looks to me as though a lot of the answers are from Americans (expecially using words like 'candy').

Also, in the UK, Halloween is NOT A HOLIDAY!!

Answer 1

my question to you is, "why?" Why would you want to ban trick or treating? It doesn't hurt anyone, and if you are miserly and don't want to be bothered, simply turn off your lights and no one will ring your bell....

Answer 2

I think it should be regulated a little better. Visits range from young children asking for sweets, to large groups of teenagers asking for cash. Failure to respond can mean you getting your property damaged or worse. I think it is terrible to ban it, but why not move it off the streets and into a community centre where I'm sure some parents would be happy to man it for the night (As opposed to letting their children wander aimlessly in the dark). When I was younger we used to have a halloween party in the community centre. It was so much better than trapsing around in the cold and we could meet new friends (I was only like 8 or 9 when I used to do this btw). I can understand how it can upset someone though. I stopped going when a grieving family answered the door to me (In a ghost outfit) and said that a family member had just that second passed away in the house. It was clear from the tears in their eyes that they were telling the truth. I never wen't ever again out of shame.

Answer 3

I'm from the USA. Not that it's something to brag about but anyway...you wanted to know.

how about the over commercialization of holidays? I've seen houses lit up with Halloween decorations that would make Christmas decorations look depraved!

Why do we say Happy Halloween? Why not Scary Halloween?Isn't Halloween about dressing in a frightening costume? Wait, what exactly is Halloween? How did it orginate? We all know Christmas is about buying gifts. What? Jesus who? Ask a kid what Christmas and Halloween means to them. They will say, "Presents and candy!"

One of the good ideas for some Trick or Treaters is going to large shopping malls. The store employees have candy and hand them out. It's nice to be indoors and in a safe environment where older kids won't try to steal your candy from you.

Answer 4

UK(Wales)

and No it should not be banned.

Its fun when done properly.

I am happy to hand out sweets to cute little kids who come round with their parents, who say please and thankyou and behave themselves.

I would not answer the door to a bunch of 15 year old boys who are likely to demand money.

It should be like it was when I was a kid. We were well warned not to call on elderly people or people who lived alone, and we would never have done anything worse than chuck a handful of flour at the door for a "trick" on someone who had been particulalry unfriendly as we knew that the person in the house would just come stright down the road to complain to our parents and we'd have received the bollocking of a lifetime.

These days you get kids throwing stones, smashing windows, vandalising cars, chucking stuff at random passers by on the street. THAT needs banning,

Answer 5

no! i love to see the kids dressed up, and most of them are really well behaved and it's cute when they are shy. i do think if it were possible to enforce there should be an age limit on it of 13. after that they tend to get a little rude and generally don't have cute costumes... that's when they should be going to carnivals instead.


Edit: i am from california, my husband and i are currently stationed in germany - halloween is actually starting to catch on in germany, but a lot of the kids don't quite grasp the concept and come and say things like "candy or no?" or "gimmie candy", at least that's what i was told by my german neighbor - yeah, that's not so cute.

Answer 6

No I like to trick people into thinking Im a little boy trickertreating but actually Im a 90 year old woman who has a mind of a ten year old. So you see I like to trick, the treat can be any wheres from candy to brand new car. Not possible. NO NO NO No!

Answer 7

No - it's a bit of fun for the children, even if they aren't aware that it's All Hallow's Eve, and also the festival of Samhain. Is it any different from celebrating the Day of the Dead? It's not morbid, it's a celebration, and shows that death is not something to be feared, but to be accepted. The western world has too much of a culture of trying to deny death and the supernatural; this is one day where it can exist in our calendar.

I live in Scotland, and there's something slightly different to "Trick or Treat" up here - it's called "guising". In order to get their treat, the children who come to your door have to give you a riddle, a rhyme, a song, or a joke - and there's no "Trick"s, either. It's a good bit of fun, and I, for one, already have the pumpkin carved (OK, it should be a turnip, but have you ever tried carving a turnip?? It's hard work!), waiting to be lit tomorrow evening.

Answer 8

Don't be a hater, but yeah, I would ... these kids aren't even taught the meaning of the holiday...all they know is that it's scarey and they beg for candy.
The older people have trouble answering the door and some children don't even care....they ring and ring anyway.
Vandalism goes to an all time high.
Sick-O's are in full force with their pranks, some dangerous.
In our neighborhood we have to watch for the bears, they smell the goodies a mile away it seems.
I'm kind of leaning towards the banning thing myself.
Sorry : (

Answer 9

Cold calling is no longer acceptable for bussinesses so why should we accept kids unknown to us coming round begging for money and sometimes sweets. I am in the UK and have had people at my door not even dressed up and ask for money!! All they are doing is begging, they would not even say a rhyme or song inn exchange. I will be locking the door and turning of the lights. I also would not let my kids out (3 and 5 yrs) to go round peoples houses that they dont know, its rude and can be dangerous unfortunately.

Answer 10

I'm from the UK and i think NO it shouldn't be banned. I mean kids love to dress up and go to Halloween party's i know i use to when i was small. I dont see the problem with kids doing this.

Answer 11

Personally, and I am in the UK, I should like to see it banned. Not because I'm a miserable old scrote but because it is all hyped up and the kids waste their money on a load of old tat and what the hell is it for anyway? As if! it's to celebrate a load of rubbish. I was in Whitby (Nth Yorks) this weekend and it was full of Goths looking for spooks and that was fine; but I don't want kids banging on the door and hassling me.