I think it’s really indicative of the state of American culture that kids nowadays do thier trick-or-treating at the mall or in downtown shopping districts- This year I heard and read several reports that suggest these alternate trick-or-treating venues to “make sure your kids are safe.” Perhaps it is more appropriate to call it “Dia De Los Muertos,” as I found myself mourning the death of any sense of community that may have remained in our society. I mean, seriously, are people really that afraid to knock on their neighbor’s door? I had a hunch that this bubbling brew of fear about poisonings and kidnappings was not based on facts and hard evidence, so I did some mild research- and sure enough, these “Halloween tragedies” are indeed very rare. The few cases of candy-tempering that have been reported consisted of machine parts being left in the candy during manufacturing, as well as a child who stumbled upon his uncle’s heroin stash and whose family, upon his death by overdose, blamed it on “poisoned halloween candy.”
In these times when most of us don’t even know the names of those living 20 feet away, it seems we should relish the opportunity to peek into our neighbors houses, see what kind of art they have and how big their TV is, and maybe even :::gasp::: make some new friends and confidants. The chance of living next door to a psycho is actually very small, and wouldn’t it feel good to know if you should be afraid of them, instead of just assuming it? Also, the most common cause of injury to children on Halloweeen is getting hit by a car. So let kids knock away, just tell them to stay out of the street. It’s also wise to check candy afterwards, if only so you can steal a few pieces when they’re not looking. (Maybe that’s why my mom always seemd to think my lemonheads were “poisoned”…)

people are idiots
candy tampering a myth