Changing the Date of Halloween: Gabriel Mata

Can we please not completely bow down to corporations and party culture? Apparently there is a growing movement to change Halloween from October 31st to the last Saturday in October. Like everything else in congress, the push is gaining momentum because big corporations are behind it. Plus, it will be more convenient for adults and reckless teenagers to get drunk and drive home without worrying about being dead and hung-over in the morning. I mean for children Halloween has been working out just fine the way it is. I didn’t notice kids having any more fun than they usually do this Halloween, did you? Are corporate profits and partying really American values? If so, what happened to us?

If America were to take action on this cause, like it or not, it would concretely prove some unsettling concepts. First off, are we all existing purely for the weekend? Are we not allowed to do anything fun on weekdays even if it’s a holiday? I understand people have work or school in the morning but sometimes I feel like people who have real hobbies are a dying breed as more and more people turn to the universal hobby of intoxication. The last thing we need to do is encourage this. Yet, encouraging this is exactly what changing the date of Halloween would do. It would say “who cares about tradition we want to make money and party.”

Also, Has anyone realized that this change would also place “mischief night” on the weekend? Mischief night is the night before Halloween where it is traditional for teenagers to throw eggs and toilet paper at private property. I see it now, small towns across the country transforming into Las Vegas for the holiday weekend. Who are these people that look at America and its youth and think; “You know what they need?…Another Saturday to dress provocatively and get ridiculously wasted.” Hopefully this movement will lose momentum when people realize there are worthier causes than corporate profits and partying.

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