

Schneier on Security: Halloween and the Irrational Fear of Stranger Danger - stakent
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/10/halloween_and_t.html

======
ggchappell
It's ironic that, while the fear-mongering is stupid, much of the advice given
is actually pretty sensible.

> But instead, most Halloween articles to this day tell parents to feed
> children a big meal before they go trick-or-treating, so they won't be
> tempted to eat any candy before bringing it home for inspection.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Eat healthy food, so you won't be tempted to
eat unhealthy food.

> Face paint so no mask will obscure a child's vision.

You know what? Wearing a mask isn't fun. Sure, it's fun for 30 seconds in the
store. It's also fun for 30 seconds after you put on your costume and say,
"Look at me, everyone!" But after that, yes, it obscures your vision. It makes
your head hot. It pokes you relentlessly in irritating places. It itches, and
it makes it difficult to scratch.

So my take on all this is that the trend away from masks (which, sadly, I
think has been starting to reverse in recent years) means that a lot of kids
have had more fun on Halloween then they would otherwise have.

And, by the way, masks also make photographs less interesting. "Here's my
kid's Halloween costume. Yes, the kid's inside it. Trust me."

(EDIT: Yes, I know the fear-mongering is stupid. I said as much.)

~~~
msbarnett
It's the means, not the ends, that are being criticized here. Fear-mongering
is poisonous whether or not you happen to like the end result.

Having a big healthy meal to encourage healthy eating in preference to gorging
on junk food is fine; having a big healthy meal so that your kids won't touch
candy before you can check it for DEADLY POISONS and RAZOR BLADES is
ridiculous and promotes an irrational fear of the community in which you live.

Similarly, not wearing a mask because you don't like masks is fine; not
wearing one because MASKS MIGHT KILL YOU is deeply silly and strengths the
disconnect between perceived and actual likely risks.

~~~
ggchappell
Thus, the irony. Thus, my comment.

------
maxawaytoolong
This was a blast from the past.

When I was a kid, not only was someone going to die from strychnine in their
Pixie Stix, but the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups also probably contained razor
blades and needles.

These days when I think of Halloween I just think of women in the marketing
department dressed like strippers. Or are they supposed to be Lady Gaga?
_shudder_

~~~
dkarl
The rumors and advice in the media, as silly as they were, were better than
the home-grown advice that was passed from parent to parent. Don't let your
kid eat fruit -- it's too hard to to see where the razor blade went in! Tell
every parent on your block to pass out sealed candies only, not candy with
wrappers that can be put back on after they're taken off! (Seriously, there
were parents who thought it was irresponsible for honest people to pass out
Tootsie Rolls and Brach's candies on Halloween, because it made it easy for
killers to pass out re-wrapped poison candy.) And, of course, there were the
various numbers (all made up) about what percentage of your kid's body it was
safe to paint before the kid would suffocate and die.

Contrary to current stereotypes, anybody taking their kids trick-or-treating
in a car was assumed to be poor, and an uncaring parent, because they were
forcing their kids to trick-or-treat in "better" neighborhoods so they would
get more candy.

