Halloween Trick

[Ian]

Some neighbor of mine gave out little ziploc backs full of treats to kids yesterday on Halloween. In the bags were lollipops, milk duds and little cartoon books.

It turns out, the cartoons were religious pamphlets. And not church advertisements or some postcard of Jesus holding a lamb, but real fire-and-brimstone stuff meant to inspire terror amongst kids. Images of people being killed and tormented in hell, with promises that these things would happen to the reader as well if they did not become a devout, conservative Christian.

I should point out that the oldest of my kids is only 4. She didn't get to look through the book, since I found it first and took it away. Thank goodness, considering some of the graphics! Even to someone who can't read yet, this is deliberately horrifying stuff.

Here's a copy of one of them, which I found online:
http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0003/0003_01.asp

Handed out to children! :pissed: Needless to say, we won't stop at their house next Halloween.

Now the question I have is: what form of retribution shall I devise? :twisted:

[Thinking Aloud]

:pissed: Needless to say, we won't stop at their house next Halloween.

Now the question I have is: what form of retribution shall I devise? :twisted:

Leaflet the entire neighbourhood telling them what those folks did, describing how they distributed pamphlets depicting death and torture to children as young as __, leaving out any mention of hell / god yourself, with the question as to whether they think that's appropriate. And include their address.

[Bella Fortuna]

Chick tracts are often the butt of jokes, but in the hands of small children... that's frightening.

[Ian]

:pissed: Needless to say, we won't stop at their house next Halloween.

Now the question I have is: what form of retribution shall I devise? :twisted:

Leaflet the entire neighbourhood telling them what those folks did, describing how they distributed pamphlets depicting death and torture to children as young as __, leaving out any mention of hell / god yourself, with the question as to whether they think that's appropriate. And include their address.

Jolly good idea.

My wife's idea is to send them back with a note that giving such publications to small kids is not a welcome activity in this neighborhood.
I'm trying to resist the temptation to fling ziploc bags filled with paint onto their house some night.

[Thinking Aloud]

:pissed: Needless to say, we won't stop at their house next Halloween.

Now the question I have is: what form of retribution shall I devise? :twisted:

Leaflet the entire neighbourhood telling them what those folks did, describing how they distributed pamphlets depicting death and torture to children as young as __, leaving out any mention of hell / god yourself, with the question as to whether they think that's appropriate. And include their address.

Jolly good idea.

My wife's idea is to send them back with a note that giving such publications to small kids is not a welcome activity in this neighborhood.
I'm trying to resist the temptation to fling ziploc bags filled with paint onto their house some night.

You could always get Zilla to visit.

[Chinaski]

Pay him a visit and tell him to keep his bullshit in his own house.

[Animavore]

I remember when I was 15 my friend's little brother asked if I could read him a bedtime story (he was 5 or 6).
I ended up reading the story but I used to change it so that it featured blood'n'guts but I couldn't stop laughing as I was reading it which made him laugh.
After that I used to have to read to him all the time I was up there. His parents wondered why. I told them it was because I acted out all the voices and parts (which I did as well)

Anyway, my point is that if it were my child I would've read the Chick Tract to him/her and broke my shit laughing as I done so (I know, we've been here before. I'm just saying what I would do. This is not parental advise).

[Ian]

Maybe I'll report the lady to the Neighborhood Association. There are some real nazis on that board; I once received a warning in the mail for carelessly leaving my trash can in front of my garage overnight instead of inside it. Maybe a threatening letter from them will go further than an anonymous one from me.

But I'd still like to coat the inside of her mailbox with rotten eggs.

[Bella Fortuna]

Maybe I'll report the lady to the Neighborhood Association. There are some real nazis on that board; I once received a warning in the mail for carelessly leaving my trash can in front of my garage overnight instead of inside it. Maybe a threatening letter from them will go further than an anonymous one from me.

But I'd still like to coat the inside of her mailbox with rotten eggs.

Wait a few months so they can't pin the cause directly to this...

[Mysturji]

Maybe I'll report the lady to the Neighborhood Association. There are some real nazis on that board; I once received a warning in the mail for carelessly leaving my trash can in front of my garage overnight instead of inside it. Maybe a threatening letter from them will go further than an anonymous one from me.

But I'd still like to coat the inside of her mailbox with rotten eggs.

I hear that sugar in the gas tank of a car works wonders...
Either that or a flaming rag.
Just sayin'.

[Animavore]

I hear that sugar in the gas tank of a car works wonders...
Either that or a flaming rag.
Just sayin'.

No to the first one (check Mythbusters).

Second one

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Shorting the terminals of a car battery is a lot of fun also.

[charlou]

Don't let them get away with it. I don't mean petty, counterproductive/useless vengeful tactics, but really have a go at them for exactly what is wrong with what they've done. That's how I'd confront it, anyway.

Ani, your approach to dealing with this on the home front, with the children is great, but I also think the behaviour of the people who think it's acceptable to impose such utter crap (chick tracts, etc) onto children ought to be addressed.


Thanks for the heads up on this, too, Ian ... yet another thing for Australians to keep in mind if getting into that whole door to door trick or treat bollocks (no offense, but that's what I think of it).

[Rum]

Thanks for the heads up on this, too, Ian ... yet another thing for Australians to keep in mind if getting into that whole door to door trick or treat bollocks (no offense, but that's what I think of it).

I agree. I have been mildly surprised by the relative lack of challenge here to Halloween, given the anger we sometimes express here about indoctrinating children about other woo stuff. It is a pretty big deal as far as I am concerned to dress kids up as 'undead', vampires and monsters of various kinds, scare them (at least some of them must be scared I imagine) and then send them off trick or treating.

Don't wish to come over as a killjoy as many of them must love it! But it is pretty wooish when you think about it!

[charlou]

Thanks for the heads up on this, too, Ian ... yet another thing for Australians to keep in mind if getting into that whole door to door trick or treat bollocks (no offense, but that's what I think of it).

I agree. I have been mildly surprised by the relative lack of challenge here to Halloween, given the anger we sometimes express here about indoctrinating children about other woo stuff. It is a pretty big deal as far as I am concerned to dress kids up as 'undead', vampires and monsters of various kinds, scare them (at least some of them must be scared I imagine) and then send them off trick or treating.

Don't wish to come over as a killjoy as many of them must love it! But it is pretty wooish when you think about it!

Dressing up for halloween is just silly spooky fantasy fun - fantasy is good for children to indulge in as long as they're not lied to about it ... the indoctrination aspect of halloween (or any similar holiday) is in enculturing it as a tradition, I guess.

I think of door to door trick or treating as bollocks because I don't like the intrusive nature of it, teaching kids it's okay to go round to strangers' houses asking for handouts, and everyone being expected to join in or be considered a lousy stick in the mud. It becomes an annual obligation that not everyone wants to participate in but are nontheless affected by. Keep it to interested friends and family, I think.