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Post by Kapitan on Nov 4, 2020 15:22:10 GMT
If you thought I was implying that attending rock concerts or dances or having girlfriends/boyfriends should not be allowed, then I didn't do a good job in explaining my views. I was trying to limit my thoughts to violence. Nope, not saying YOU hold those views. Just noting the broad range of lines parents do draw for kids in the interest of protecting from [whatever harmful thing], and how it can backfire if it isn't measured.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 4, 2020 23:20:58 GMT
KDS, how do you feel about Halloween decorations still up in yards on Nov. 4? Do you say "get [those] off your lawn?" Or is it OK to let them linger a while?
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Post by kds on Nov 5, 2020 13:15:28 GMT
KDS, how do you feel about Halloween decorations still up in yards on Nov. 4? Do you say "get [those] off your lawn?" Or is it OK to let them linger a while? I can't really judge because I've not yet taken mine down. I usually wait until after the 11/2 Day of the Dead Holiday. But, now it's Guy Fawkes Day, and they're still up. As long as it doesn't go too deep into November. After all, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes have aired as late as November 7. And, back when The Simpsons was still a relevant force in pop culture, FOX used to say "Halloween doesn't end until The Simpsons say so."
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Post by kds on Oct 20, 2021 13:29:52 GMT
Bumping this Halloween thread from last year to highlight another Halloween rant.
The internet is a funny place. Especially how the internet will latch on to something and declare it "terrible." In terms of rock music, Nickelback is probably the biggest victim of that.
In terms of Halloween, the target is candy corn. Now, I'm not a huge fan of it, but I used to like it as a kid. But, at 41, with my slower metabolism, if I'm going to treat myself to some empty calories, it's going to be some form of chocolate candy.
But, the venom for candy corn has reached comically over the top levels.
Eh, OK, not much of a rant, but more of an observation.
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Post by kds on Oct 11, 2022 13:12:23 GMT
Bumping this old Halloween thread because, this morning, listening to the radio, I heard a report of three school districts in Washington State, Pennsylvania, and (I'm blanking on the third state) are banning Halloween celebrations for elementary school children because they're not "all inclusive."
You know what's not all inclusive? Life. This whole notion that every goddamn thing under the sun needs to be 100% all inclusive is just bogus, and this is how we raise soft, bland adults who wind up being offended at everything, and don't handle adversity very well.
Some of my most fond memories of elementary school are from the Halloween season. Dressing up for the Halloween parties. Seeing the kids from kindergarten do their costume parades around school. The fun games. Even singing Halloween themed songs.
Yeah, we'd have a kid in class every now and then who didn't dress up. They'd still participate in the festivities if they chose to.
It seems like every year, there's some kind of variation of the same nonsense about Halloween. For a holiday whose modern incarnation really has nothing to do with religion, I really do not get it. Especially on the elementary level. Let these kids be kids, and Halloween is one of the most fun celebrations that kids have.
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Post by carllove on Oct 11, 2022 14:30:16 GMT
Bumping this old Halloween thread because, this morning, listening to the radio, I heard a report of three school districts in Washington State, Pennsylvania, and (I'm blanking on the third state) are banning Halloween celebrations for elementary school children because they're not "all inclusive." You know what's not all inclusive? Life. This whole notion that every goddamn thing under the sun needs to be 100% all inclusive is just bogus, and this is how we raise soft, bland adults who wind up being offended at everything, and don't handle adversity very well. Some of my most fond memories of elementary school are from the Halloween season. Dressing up for the Halloween parties. Seeing the kids from kindergarten do their costume parades around school. The fun games. Even singing Halloween themed songs. Yeah, we'd have a kid in class every now and then who didn't dress up. They'd still participate in the festivities if they chose to. It seems like every year, there's some kind of variation of the same nonsense about Halloween. For a holiday whose modern incarnation really has nothing to do with religion, I really do not get it. Especially on the elementary level. Let these kids be kids, and Halloween is one of the most fun celebrations that kids have. My daughter’s favorite holiday is Halloween. She is also 26 so she didn’t have to deal with this sort of crap in elementary school. I feel so bad for kids now days. Halloween and Valentine’s Day were some of the best days ever in elementary school. I have seen some schools eliminate Valentine’s Day festivities because of equity as well. Wouldn’t want some kid to get their feelings hurt. This does not bode well for the future.
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Post by kds on Oct 11, 2022 14:36:46 GMT
Bumping this old Halloween thread because, this morning, listening to the radio, I heard a report of three school districts in Washington State, Pennsylvania, and (I'm blanking on the third state) are banning Halloween celebrations for elementary school children because they're not "all inclusive." You know what's not all inclusive? Life. This whole notion that every goddamn thing under the sun needs to be 100% all inclusive is just bogus, and this is how we raise soft, bland adults who wind up being offended at everything, and don't handle adversity very well. Some of my most fond memories of elementary school are from the Halloween season. Dressing up for the Halloween parties. Seeing the kids from kindergarten do their costume parades around school. The fun games. Even singing Halloween themed songs. Yeah, we'd have a kid in class every now and then who didn't dress up. They'd still participate in the festivities if they chose to. It seems like every year, there's some kind of variation of the same nonsense about Halloween. For a holiday whose modern incarnation really has nothing to do with religion, I really do not get it. Especially on the elementary level. Let these kids be kids, and Halloween is one of the most fun celebrations that kids have. My daughter’s favorite holiday is Halloween. She is also 26 so she didn’t have to deal with this sort of crap in elementary school. I feel so bad for kids now days. Halloween and Valentine’s Day were some of the best days ever in elementary school. I have seen some schools eliminate Valentine’s Day festivities because of equity as well. Wouldn’t want some kid to get their feelings hurt. This does not bode well for the future. I'm hoping that the three examples I heard about are just small samples, and Halloween will continue in the vast majority of schools for many years to come. One of the hosts of the radio show I listened to actually made a good point. If the banning of Halloween activities is because of a parent complaint, and word gets around, then the kids of said parent will wind up suffering far worse than had the Halloween activities carried on without their participation.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Oct 12, 2022 12:15:03 GMT
Bumping this old Halloween thread because, this morning, listening to the radio, I heard a report of three school districts in Washington State, Pennsylvania, and (I'm blanking on the third state) are banning Halloween celebrations for elementary school children because they're not "all inclusive." You know what's not all inclusive? Life. This whole notion that every goddamn thing under the sun needs to be 100% all inclusive is just bogus, and this is how we raise soft, bland adults who wind up being offended at everything, and don't handle adversity very well. Some of my most fond memories of elementary school are from the Halloween season. Dressing up for the Halloween parties. Seeing the kids from kindergarten do their costume parades around school. The fun games. Even singing Halloween themed songs. Yeah, we'd have a kid in class every now and then who didn't dress up. They'd still participate in the festivities if they chose to. It seems like every year, there's some kind of variation of the same nonsense about Halloween. For a holiday whose modern incarnation really has nothing to do with religion, I really do not get it. Especially on the elementary level. Let these kids be kids, and Halloween is one of the most fun celebrations that kids have. That seems pretty ridiculous. Did they give a reason why it was banned, beyond not being inclusive?
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2022 12:35:09 GMT
Of the various holidays, Halloween almost seems the least necessary to worry about or ban, I'd think. Religious holidays are obvious ones. Thanksgiving has historically been presented in a pretty unrealistic way that is offensive to indigenous people, so I get that (though I also think it's easy enough to tell the real history in a way that gives a better spin, plus the concept of thanksgiving generally is universal). Valentine's Day, I guess depending on how you do it, could leave some kids out, if you have people choosing for whom to make valentines, etc., and some unpopular kids get none.
But Halloween, once removed from its religious origins--which let's be honest, it has been for probably 75 years or so--seems pretty safe! The only thing I can think of (other than those few religions that don't acknowledge any holidays, or those few that still consider it evil somehow) is that poorer kids can't afford fancy costumes? But I'd say even that is unnecessary, as there is no reason a costume has to be fancy. One year when I was a kid, I was Optimus Prime. My costume was a very cheap plastic mask (like probably a dollar?), a cardboard box I colored and painted to look like his truck-chest that I put on, and blue jeans for the blue legs. So that costume probably cost about a dollar.
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Post by kds on Oct 12, 2022 12:48:48 GMT
Bumping this old Halloween thread because, this morning, listening to the radio, I heard a report of three school districts in Washington State, Pennsylvania, and (I'm blanking on the third state) are banning Halloween celebrations for elementary school children because they're not "all inclusive." You know what's not all inclusive? Life. This whole notion that every goddamn thing under the sun needs to be 100% all inclusive is just bogus, and this is how we raise soft, bland adults who wind up being offended at everything, and don't handle adversity very well. Some of my most fond memories of elementary school are from the Halloween season. Dressing up for the Halloween parties. Seeing the kids from kindergarten do their costume parades around school. The fun games. Even singing Halloween themed songs. Yeah, we'd have a kid in class every now and then who didn't dress up. They'd still participate in the festivities if they chose to. It seems like every year, there's some kind of variation of the same nonsense about Halloween. For a holiday whose modern incarnation really has nothing to do with religion, I really do not get it. Especially on the elementary level. Let these kids be kids, and Halloween is one of the most fun celebrations that kids have. That seems pretty ridiculous. Did they give a reason why it was banned, beyond not being inclusive? That was the big reason given. Apparently, in at least one of the districts, students who didn't participate in the Halloween festivities wound up going to the library. On a related note, my wife found out yesterday that her class of 20+ students has one Jehovah's Witness, so that means she's not able to do a Halloween celebration or decorate for Halloween, because of one kid.
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Post by kds on Oct 12, 2022 12:53:12 GMT
Of the various holidays, Halloween almost seems the least necessary to worry about or ban, I'd think. Religious holidays are obvious ones. Thanksgiving has historically been presented in a pretty unrealistic way that is offensive to indigenous people, so I get that (though I also think it's easy enough to tell the real history in a way that gives a better spin, plus the concept of thanksgiving generally is universal). Valentine's Day, I guess depending on how you do it, could leave some kids out, if you have people choosing for whom to make valentines, etc., and some unpopular kids get none.
But Halloween, once removed from its religious origins--which let's be honest, it has been for probably 75 years or so--seems pretty safe! The only thing I can think of (other than those few religions that don't acknowledge any holidays, or those few that still consider it evil somehow) is that poorer kids can't afford fancy costumes? But I'd say even that is unnecessary, as there is no reason a costume has to be fancy. One year when I was a kid, I was Optimus Prime. My costume was a very cheap plastic mask (like probably a dollar?), a cardboard box I colored and painted to look like his truck-chest that I put on, and blue jeans for the blue legs. So that costume probably cost about a dollar.
Halloween, on the surface seems safe, but you still have a very vocal group who chose to find something, anything, to be offended by anything. You're gonna have that. But, what I don't understand is why we at times, so easily cave to these folks. Grow some balls and say, "We're sorry, 95% (or whatever) of the kids in this district celebrate Halloween, and we are not going to take that away." Maybe offer an alternative celebration for the kids who don't participate instead of just having them sit in the library.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2022 12:53:22 GMT
See, I remember we had one family (that I knew of) in my hometown that was either JW or some other sect that didn't allow holiday celebrations. I think they had maybe 2-3 kids. The deal was, those kids just didn't participate in holiday stuff. I don't recall what they did, whether they just hung out in the classroom or went to the library or what. But I don't remember it being a big deal.
Singling out and making kids uncomfortable is bad. I acknowledge that. But on the other hand, catering excessively to a single kid, or a small group, is also no way to run the world. If 31 kids would enjoy a Halloween celebration and one wouldn't, is it really the best idea to not have a celebration?
We balance interests in life all the time. For example, we make public facilities accessible to people with disabilities. But we also still allow people to play basketball, football, volleyball, or other sports that require the use of one's legs--even though a school may have some small number of kids without the use of their legs. It sucks for those few kids! But it's also just the real world... We're all going to be "that kid" at some point or another in life, for some activity or other. It's great for schools or other adults to be cognizant of it and make accommodations, but it's absurd to go overboard, too.
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Post by kds on Oct 12, 2022 12:56:19 GMT
See, I remember we had one family (that I knew of) in my hometown that was either JW or some other sect that didn't allow holiday celebrations. I think they had maybe 2-3 kids. The deal was, those kids just didn't participate in holiday stuff. I don't recall what they did, whether they just hung out in the classroom or went to the library or what. But I don't remember it being a big deal.
Singling out and making kids uncomfortable is bad. I acknowledge that. But on the other hand, catering excessively to a single kid, or a small group, is also no way to run the world. If 31 kids would enjoy a Halloween celebration and one wouldn't, is it really the best idea to not have a celebration?
We balance interests in life all the time. For example, we make public facilities accessible to people with disabilities. But we also still allow people to play basketball, football, volleyball, or other sports that require the use of one's legs--even though a school may have some small number of kids without the use of their legs. It sucks for those few kids! But it's also just the real world... We're all going to be "that kid" at some point or another in life, for some activity or other. It's great for schools or other adults to be cognizant of it and make accommodations, but it's absurd to go overboard, too.
I asked my wife why they're cancelling Halloween in her class for one kid. Apparently, they want to avoid any possible complaint from the parents. Like I said before, life is not all inclusive. I'm not a fan of college basketball, but I didn't run and cry to HR at previous jobs when 90% of the office was filling out brackets.
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Post by B.E. on Oct 12, 2022 23:37:10 GMT
I asked my wife why they're cancelling Halloween in her class for one kid. Apparently, they want to avoid any possible complaint from the parents. Does that mean that the classroom across the hall might have a Halloween party while your wife's class can't? That would be absurd. Either way, that's poor management. I asked my mother about this today (she retired from teaching just a year or two ago). She said all the JW's families she dealt with were nice. She'd talk to them, explained when the Halloween party and parade was, and they'd work it out. Most times, they'd simply opt to stay home from school that day (and they weren't charged an absence). She also said that parents would donate costumes for kids whose families couldn't afford one. At Christmas, they'd have a single Holiday party incorporating different faiths. Not knowing as much about it, she often had a parent come in and discuss Hanukkah. I think all backgrounds and circumstances should be considered and accounted for but, as you guys are saying, the answer certainly isn't to throw your hands up and literally do nothing. As for the three school districts who banned Halloween, I'm not about to overreact to that (not that KDS is, I'm just talking generally). Whether it's literally only 3 in the entire country or 300, each community votes for their school board members. If that's how they want it, fine. It doesn't affect me. If not, vote. Edit: My mother also said that JW's don't stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Well, actually, most parents would teach their kids to stand but not to recite the pledge. This way they wouldn't standout. The other kids wouldn't even notice. (She mostly taught 1st-2nd grade.) Anyway...
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Post by kds on Oct 13, 2022 12:49:54 GMT
I asked my wife why they're cancelling Halloween in her class for one kid. Apparently, they want to avoid any possible complaint from the parents. Does that mean that the classroom across the hall might have a Halloween party while your wife's class can't? That would be absurd. Either way, that's poor management. I asked my mother about this today (she retired from teaching just a year or two ago). She said all the JW's families she dealt with were nice. She'd talk to them, explained when the Halloween party and parade was, and they'd work it out. Most times, they'd simply opt to stay home from school that day (and they weren't charged an absence). She also said that parents would donate costumes for kids whose families couldn't afford one. At Christmas, they'd have a single Holiday party incorporating different faiths. Not knowing as much about it, she often had a parent come in and discuss Hanukkah. I think all backgrounds and circumstances should be considered and accounted for but, as you guys are saying, the answer certainly isn't to throw your hands up and literally do nothing. As for the three school districts who banned Halloween, I'm not about to overreact to that (not that KDS is, I'm just talking generally). Whether it's literally only 3 in the entire country or 300, each community votes for their school board members. If that's how they want it, fine. It doesn't affect me. If not, vote. Edit: My mother also said that JW's don't stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Well, actually, most parents would teach their kids to stand but not to recite the pledge. This way they wouldn't standout. The other kids wouldn't even notice. (She mostly taught 1st-2nd grade.) Anyway... Apparently, as I found out yesterday, they are doing school wide Halloween festivities at my wife's school, including a Trunk or Treat during school hours. So, I have to admit, I'm confused by the whole thing. She did say the JW family is very nice. So, I think they're still going to do costumes, and a party, and all that, but the decor in her class will be fall themed instead of Halloween. So, now that I have that information, that seems a little more fair.
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