"I think if human beings had genuine courage, they'd wear their costumes every day of the year, not just on Halloween. Wouldn't life be more interesting that way? And now that I think about it, why the heck don't they? Who made the rule that everybody has to dress like sheep 364 days of the year? Think of all the people you'd meet if they were in costume every day. People would be so much easier to talk to... like talking to dogs."
~Douglas Coupland
The Gum Thief
Alan and I visited the Spirit store yesterday to pick out a costume for me, and choose some decorations for the lawn. We decided on some cute fencing, and some Candy Corn lights. It's the first Halloween in our very own house, so it will be fun to watch the decorating evolve over the next few years! We already decided to make some yard ghosts for next year. I saw some years ago while vacationing in Nevada, and I never forgot how cute and whimsical they were! It will be a fun project for us. I wish we had time this year, but everything just happened so fast! Anyway, my costume this year will be an emoticon. An emoticon with sunglasses! LOL. I am a happy/cool face. Fun! Alan's costume is... oh wait... I better ask him before I tell you. Maybe he will let me take his picture on Halloween! We'll see! Stay Tuned!
Walking around the Spirit store certainly reminded me about how things have changed. You didn't see demonic babies or pop culture figures as Halloween costumes when I was a child, or young adult for that matter. I remember political figures, and there were costumes of certain people like Madonna or Freddy Kruger, but it wasn't until O.J. Simpson that things seemed to take a strange turn as far as Halloween costumes went. I guess I am showing my age here, but even back then I found it in poor taste to dress as O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson. We won't discuss the subsequent serial killer costumes that came after.
For the most part I say Go For It! Make it the scarier the better! But when it comes to cases like with O.J. I can't find the fun in it. War is another thing I can't seem to find a positive in trivializing. I think dressing as a soldier is fine. Especially if you are a child of an active service member, but once I actually saw a young man, maybe 13 or 14, in a costume depicting an active service duty member with multiple gunshots across his chest, and blue in coloring. In other words... a dead soldier. This was several years ago during the Iraq war. It was shocking, it was depressing, and it completely turned me off. So much so that I just left the costume parade and went home.
To each his own. And at his age he had a right to make a statement but is Halloween the right time? I really hope this year there are a lot more Candy Corn witches, and less pretend victims of serial killers. But that's just me. I suppose freedom of speech doesn't end on Halloween... right?
Leaf Of The Day
October 27th, 2015
Mood: Happy
~Me :)
