— Out of Context Human Race (@NoContextHumans) November 1, 2023Why are we doing handouts anyway? To show what human beings are like? If you answer the door and dispense the handout personally, you can maintain a system of one portion per person, and you might even get a smile or a thank you. If you put out a big bowl of multiple portions because you don't want to monitor the process and impose single portions, then people will serve their own interests and take all they want. You knew that. The kids who took it all also knew that if they didn't take it all, the next group of kids would take it all. It's a state of nature without supervision and enforcement. Don't pretend you trusted people and you had some sort of admirable "hope" that now I'm supposed to feel bad got crushed. No, you lazy bastard. Answer the damned door next time. Or have the courage to turn off the porch light and huddle in a back room and celebrate the end of the holiday you no longer believe in.
November 2, 2023
Who uses this method? Either do Halloween or don't!
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158 comments:
Great parenting.
At least they left the bowl and the table for the next group to take.
I used to live about two blocks away from super rich Bob Heider. The Creighton College of Business is named for him.
He just set out a bowl of candy. Kids just took one. That's what kids with manners and ethics do.
But we are devolving back to savagery; the Libs' state of nature.
I put out a bucket of candy on my porch since I am never at home on Halloween evening. Frankly, I'd be delighted if someone emptied my bucket, which is far superior to what happened at my house. At my house, it looks like not a single soul took even one piece of candy out of the bucket. Now I have a bucket full of candy I don't want to eat.
I saw some of the cutest kids. One 7-year-old very precocious girl asked me if I knew any tricks.
I told her I didn't know any real tricks but could juggle a bit.
She wanted to see me juggle but I didn't have anything handy. I told her if she came back with some oranges I would show her.
I honestly thought I was going to see her later on my porch with oranges : )
***
I saw an X video yesterday of a small boy walking up to a big bowl left outside. When he looked in it was empty.
Behind him was a little girl about 2 or 3 years old with her mom (maybe he was the brother?).
When he saw the little girl coming, he stopped, reached into his candy bag, and took out some pieces to put into the empty bowl for her to have.
Talk about cute!
What they should have done is put out an empty bowl with the note, "Take One Portion Only".
Anyone who showed up would assume previous treaters took the entire lot.
"The kids who took it all also knew that if they didn't take it all, the next group of kids would take it all. It's a state of nature without supervision and enforcement."
In Europe, you can set anything out and nobody will touch it. Or take more than their share. I've seen everything from racks of $300 sunglasses to bicycles that cost a fortune. People will place them outside, go inside to do their business, and come out - and they're still there. It's American culture that breeds this attitude that you have to take everything that's not nailed down. I also noticed, when I got back from Europe, that I had to walk down the street almost in a fighting pose, to get respect from my fellow human beings. This also is American culture.
That so few understand the inherent corruption of this place is infuriating - and NOT HELPING.
That looked totally staged.
It's perfect that your ire would - with such vehemence - be directed at the nice, naive person who put out the candy, and not at the scummy thieves.
It's a trap! But not a crime, just a social faux pas in an age when those are not likely widely shared values.
This is also an example of why I don't like social media used by people with private surveillance cameras. At least have the courtesy to blur your neighbors' faces if you are going to bait them with candy and film them. Better yet put up a "Smile I'm filming you for distribution on the internet" sign and give fair warning.
While the children's reaction is predicable, the problem is the adults leading the charge and therefore teaching their children bad behavior. Shouldn't the parents be teaching them that they live in a community that relies on one and another for support?
Also, the original post on twitter referred to them as immigrants. The audio portion supports this conclusion. Could this video have been a trap to smear law-abiding illegal aliens?
Hey, it takes a village, right?
I once manned the house door in an extremely busy Halloween neighborhood -- people would drive kids in from out of the area because of safety, and the candy pickings were great. I sometimes handed candy out one-by-one, but also presented a bowl and allowed each kid to choose. Some picked one and went away, while other very young ones struggled mightily or were told by parents to not grab many pieces of candy. But, not a single child actually took everything.
Here I see mainly see bad parenting and our lazy dumped sidewalk-scooter culture in action. The Halloween visitation period can last several hours and not every person has the fitness, temperature tolerance, or time to stand at the door all the time. The resident still wants to participate and/or fend off obnoxious "trick" vandalism, so Halloween is often a no-win situation.
Um. Those weren't "kids".
I take a more sympathetic view. This person may be shy, or they may not have had time to hand out candy.
So they left out the candy and expected people to behave. And take a decent amount. But of course one group, led by adults, just took all the candy. I guess it just depends on how well you know your neighbors. As a child, we never would have taken all the candy. We'd have been scared that some adult, maybe "Ol Man Jones" was watching and would tell our parents. And we'd get a lecture.
We also had the example of a neighbor's fruit tree. She'd always have some left over, and would leave bags of fruit in her front yard with a sign "Free fruit". You weren't supposed to drive up in a U-haul and take it all. you were expected to take on bag and leave.
I understand the sentiment. Somebody was going to act like a pig and take everything. But we should be shaming those people. Not attacking the person who just left out the candy.
I have to admit to being such a gullible soul that I am surprised/shocked at such behavior. I might have taken a second piece if it was something I liked. And have felt guilty doing it.
Social distancing is epidemic.
Great costumes!
At Althouses I’m the problem it’s me
I have this thing where I get older
but just never wiser
I should not be left to my own devices
They come with prices and vices…
Swift again.
It's good to see that younger children are being taught proper manners. I predict this group will do well in politics later in life.
When the kids were little we once did Halloween with a full-size cardboard puppet operated behind elaborate door decorations. It was impossible to be more engaged with the spirit of the holiday. One boy looked right at the puppet and took handfuls of candy. Sometimes a shithead is just a shithead.
'In Europe, you can set anything out and nobody will touch it. Or take more than their share. I've seen everything from racks of $300 sunglasses to bicycles that cost a fortune. People will place them outside, go inside to do their business, and come out - and they're still there.'
Same in Japan. And they line up calmly for everything.
It took a while to get used to : )
No, people leave the bowl out for an hour while they go out with their kids. I've done it in certain years. Most kids only take a few. Some might manage a handful or two but we always had some left when we came back.
Parents watch what their kids take most of the time and the teenagers don't come until later when you're back home.
High quality people we've got here in greedy Biden 'Merica.
I have three bulldogs and a glass front door. Opening the door continuously with several suspiciously dressed little people standing in front of it is at best a chaotic move. I sit outside at the end of the driveway with treats for the rush, but always get a few groups of stragglers later in the evening.
Candy was the treat. Posting the video was the trick. Well played, homeowner.
Ice Nine said...
"It's perfect that your ire would - with such vehemence - be directed at the nice, naive person who put out the candy, and not at the scummy thieves."
This is how people treat the Palestinians. They are totally confused at what the world is doing to them, and all the world can think to do is punish them even more for it - with a vengeance. Meanwhile, the Israelis - who showed-up out of the blue to take all the Palestinian's candy - are everybody's favorites. So much that you can't even take them to task for wanting to take all the candy. They get to take all the candy they want, because they've suffered so much, at the hands of the people now letting them commit these crimes.
It's truly a mindfuck.
"In Europe, you can set anything out and nobody will touch it...."
The only place I've ever been robbed is Europe.
Nice. Now do Your Vote and Elected Officials.
They gonna take as much as they can, unless you very strictly limit the powers of Government.
Someone on the X feed said it's not stealing. It's greedy but they left it out for the taking. I call bullshit. It was stealing.
People put it out for many reasons. Maybe they had a party to go to. Maybe they're taking their own kids out trick or treating. Dr Ann you're ignoring the problem. Those adult women knew better but they not only grinned ear to ear while stealing candy but they added to the outrage by having their children help out. Garbage humans. I hope they are ashamed of themselves but I have strong doubts.
"It's perfect that your ire would - with such vehemence - be directed at the nice, naive person who put out the candy, and not at the scummy thieves."
Yeah, you're right. It is perfect. Shame on the lazy adults who lured children into taking more than there share.
What's the argument that this was "theft"? The candy was put out for the taking and the children were challenged to think for themselves about how to handle the situation vis a vis other children. The homeowner had already relinquished the stash, for his/her own benefit (not answering the door). It was just a question of which kids would get it. These kids followed the old finders-keepers/first-come-first-served approach. The kids who arrived to find nothing were not victims of theft. They were never owners.
In Singapore the penalty for taking more than one piece from an unsupervised bowl is public caning.
The only place I've ever been robbed is Europe.
Well, that's your own fault. You won't travel.
Redistributive change is an empathetic religion inculcated through delegation.
Blogger The Crack Emcee said...
"The kids who took it all also knew that if they didn't take it all, the next group of kids would take it all. It's a state of nature without supervision and enforcement."
In Europe, you can set anything out and nobody will touch it. Or take more than their share. I've seen everything from racks of $300 sunglasses to bicycles that cost a fortune. People will place them outside, go inside to do their business, and come out - and they're still there. It's American culture that breeds this attitude that you have to take everything that's not nailed down. I also noticed, when I got back from Europe, that I had to walk down the street almost in a fighting pose, to get respect from my fellow human beings. This also is American culture.
That so few understand the inherent corruption of this place is infuriating - and NOT HELPING.
11/2/23, 10:37 AM
It was that way here in the US up until the last 20 years or so. And by the way, if you turn on the sound on the video it's clear they aren't speaking English. It's some European language.
"nice, naive person"
I don't believe that for one minute. This is a person with a ring camera who puts video of children on line.
I notice the homeowner kept the camera running to get good pictures of the culprits. Maybe he's connected. Maybe he'll send Vinnie and Guido over later, to have a 'little talk'.
I had a couple of handfuls of trick-or-treaters, all kids, all very well-mannered, all supervised. It's a great neighborhood, very kid-oriented and safe, and we often get a few carloads of kids from the nearby small city. These are the parents, mostly Hispanic, that care enough about their kid's development that they'll spend time with the costume and carry them to a place where it'll be fun and safe. I'm all for that. Still have candy left over though, darn it.
Back in the Day our little grammar school troop would sometimes have to explain to some homeowners that we were not interested in the rules they were inventing and trying to impose. ‘We’re an extortion racket…’ we would calmly explain in our best Lucy Van Pelt. Eggs were cheap in Back in the Day…
Some people have gone feral, but really isn’t that what Halloween is all about?
I saw something like that in my neighborhood, on the way out to dinner after turning out all the lights. A neighbor had a self-serve bowl set up in their driveway. A group of six kids turned into the driveway, saw the self-serve bowl, and broke into a run. They were followed by their parents and so each may have just took one candy. As to who uses this method, the house has young kids and the parents were likely out trick or treating with them.
Yesterday morning, I found a tiny bottle of Dr. McGillicuddy's Mentholmint Liqueur in the yard near the street, which I suspect was given out as a Halloween treat. Someone had taken a swig, about a third of the bottle, and then discarded it.
On a second viewing of the video, you can see that they go for the “good” candy first. I fondly remember sorting the good candy from the bad after trick or treating in the early 1970s. Some things never change. I was definitely a binger, my parents couldn’t have pulled the Jimmy Kimmel stunt on me. My brother could make his Halloween candy last until Christmas. It goes without saying that he was also very good at hiding it.
cool part is they are not wearing masks.. so - we all get to see who they are.
Next time - they should go full Antifa-Hamas - and hide their faces. Come on, man.
"While the children's reaction is predicable, the problem is the adults leading the charge and therefore teaching their children bad behavior. Shouldn't the parents be teaching them that they live in a community that relies on one and another for support?"
What are you teaching -- did you teach -- your children about succeeding in America? Take all you can get your hands on or leave plenty so that other people's children get an equal share?
You have to at least know that other parents are urging their children to take as much as you can get and to come out on top.
Don’t be so Halloween Scrooge- It is an interesting economic experiment. Those who loathe economics won’t understand the lesson or how it applies to a macro environment so yes, it is creepy adults filming children…
Agreed: greet the kids, say Hi to the parents and hand out candy, or don't participate.
But: Your response echoes that of my cousin when I visited him in the city and thugs broke into my car. "It's your fault for leaving your bag in there," he said. No, it's your neighbors' fault for stealing it, and now I see why they feel emboldened. Because you provide them moral cover.
The more I read other's comments the more I stand by what I wrote originally.
I saw a similar video where some Harvard students waving Palestinian flags raped the candy then burned it.
It looked staged too.
@Zavier Onasses
Thanks for getting my point.
What are you teaching -- did you teach -- your children about succeeding in America? Take all you can get your hands on or leave plenty so that other people's children get an equal share?
I doubt anyone here teaches their children that stealing is OK to 'succeed in America.'
The virus is a part of this, right? A couple of years, I had candy out on a table, and watched closely what was going on from the front window. I was back outside at the table this year. I had stuff in five bins, sort-of organized for different sizes of kids. One group came up, and their spokesman said, "Do we take one from each?", to which I replied, "You don't take anything." Another started riffing through bins, and I said, "Get outta here!" They all got something, but it's going to take a while for the pandemic trick-or-treaters to pass through the system.
Isn't this just the Tragedy of the Commons in action?
I'm of two minds on this. When I was in basic training the DIs were very strict about us keeping our lockers locked so that thieving just would not be an issue. If you forgot to lock your locker then you were putting temptation in people's way. On the other hand, for an advanced society to function a certain amount of trust and decorum needs to exist. Also, it was the adults who started grabbing the candy and made triumphant noises while they violated that trust. If I saw someone acting that way I certainly would not hire them because I would not think that I could trust them not to try to take advantage of me.
Oh, I have been to Europe more times than I can count, really, I have lost track of the number of times I've been to Europe, and I'm sorry Crack, but I didn't find its denizens any more trustworthy than us Americans where, depending on the area, stuff is left out in front of stores unattended all the time.
Ann Althouse said...
"The only place I've ever been robbed is Europe."
I didn't say crime didn't exist. I was talking about a cultural difference.
"Take all you can get your hands on or leave plenty so that other people's children get an equal share?"
I can state with certainty that I never once heard my mother say, "Make a pig of yourself." Never.
"What are you teaching -- did you teach -- your children about succeeding in America? Take all you can get your hands on or leave plenty so that other people's children get an equal share?"
Wut?
One of the most fundamental things you need to teach your children is sharing. Nobody has to teach a kid to say "mine!" The kids acted poorly because the adults demonstrated bad behavior in front of them. It doesn't matter if the next set of people loot all of the candy, you are responsible for your own behavior. Who knows, maybe in a few years some of those kids might decide that they need somebody's car and its not like the old lady driving it is going to be able to stop them.
Joe Smith said..
'In Europe, you can set anything out and nobody will touch it. Or take more than their share. I've seen everything from racks of $300 sunglasses to bicycles that cost a fortune. People will place them outside, go inside to do their business, and come out - and they're still there.'
Same in Japan. And they line up calmly for everything.
All of a sudden, I'm picturing Ann in Japan, not paying attention to her surroundings,....
Joe Smith said..
'In Europe, you can set anything out and nobody will touch it. Or take more than their share. I've seen everything from racks of $300 sunglasses to bicycles that cost a fortune. People will place them outside, go inside to do their business, and come out - and they're still there.'
Same in Japan. And they line up calmly for everything.
All of a sudden, I'm picturing Ann in Japan, not paying attention to her surroundings,....
I've never understood the appeal of going to the houses of strangers and demanding free food.
If you have a small neighborhood/cul de sac with families of kids, that's one thing. But the rest of it? Feh.
Twenty five years in our house. It's out of the way - to be sure - but the porch light stays off and we've yet to have a single trick-or-treater come knocking. I plan to keep it that way.
I forget, why is it called Judea again?
"It's perfect that your ire would - with such vehemence - be directed at the nice, naive person who put out the candy, and not at the scummy thieves."
Neither nice nor naive. It was a token offering from the lazy or indifferent. More honest, at least, to just leave your house dark.
I made out like a bandit as a trick-or-treating kid. I'll continue to carve jack o' lanterns and answer the door because I owe, because it's a simple act that builds community, and because it's a lot of fun to interact with the kids.
As for the ludicrous notion that the bowl-emptying kids are somehow a comment on American greed, absolutely fucking ridiculous. They're kids. Take a breath. Get real.
Some people leave bowls out because they’re out trick or treating with their own kids…
I see liberal white women doing what liberal white women do.
I've never not known honor-system trick or treat homes, roadside veggie/fruit stands, and even book stores. There's a bookstore in Ojai, CA, called Bart's Books that at night puts out at least a hundred books on outdoor shelves with the price written inside. (I've bought several books there on the way back to the hotel after dinner.) You're supposed to put the cash in an envelope or even come back the next day. Last time there I asked how often they were ripped off. "Almost never."
Put a sign on it: One to a customer. Then you have cause to complain.
We hand out candy individually, but at the end of the night, we leave the bowl out b/c that's when the teenagers come out and they take it all and we don't have to hold onto it for next year.
What a low opinion of people you have Althouse. You excuse the miscreants as just doing what comes natural - it doesn't - and condemn decent people trying to do something nice. What the hell is wrong with you?
Do better.
These are the kind of people - whom Althouse excuses - who ruin things for everyone. It's no different than the folks raiding stores. It's how neighborhoods turn mean and stores decide to simply move away....leaving you with nothing. Congrats: you've built yourself a sh*thole of a town.
Maine is full of honor-system side-of-the-road stands, for things like campwood/firewood, pies, eggs, flowers and the like.
Have to disagree with you on this one, "you lazy bastard. Answer the damned door next time. Or have the courage to turn off the porch light and huddle in a back room and celebrate the end of the holiday you no longer believe in."
Some of us have more than one young kid and we walk around with them and their groups of friends while they trick-or-treat. The only option is to leave the bucket of candy on the front step.
For those saying this was staged, etc., after this was posted, a bunch of similar videos of other people coming up and grabbing the entire bowl were also posted. It has infested the culture. And instead of being excused should be condemned.
Ann Althouse said...
"While the children's reaction is predicable, the problem is the adults leading the charge and therefore teaching their children bad behavior. Shouldn't the parents be teaching them that they live in a community that relies on one and another for support?"
"What are you teaching -- did you teach -- your children about succeeding in America? Take all you can get your hands on or leave plenty so that other people's children get an equal share?"
It's a holiday for little children. It's not a holiday for adults. If you're looking for a moral meesage here it's that teach your little monsters some manners.
"What are you teaching -- did you teach -- your children about succeeding in America? Take all you can get your hands on or leave plenty so that other people's children get an equal share?"
If I had done something like what's in the video when I was a kid and my parents found out, I wouldn't have been able to sit down for a week. I don't know what other people teaching, however.
Wait, wait, isn’t that a video of Congressional Dems looting the Federal Treasury. Happy spoils day.
"people are teaching"
People suck now. Not all people, but enough people do. When I was a kid, there were several houses around the neighborhood that put out a bowl like this, and kids took one piece maybe two. Sure you were tempted to take the whole thing, but you knew better than that. There may have been kids that took the whole thing, but everyone knew they were ROTTEN to the core if they did.
Dirtbag adults steal candy, and Althouse's anger is reserved for the individual who placed the candy out for children. Your moral compass is completely broken.
Seriously, there is something about the night. Darkness seems to revoke the community standards since “ no one will see me stealing it.”
Famous honest man aphorism is about who will steal when they know no one can catch them?? And as a lawyer my answer would be every damn one of them. Saints are exceedingly rare among the descendants of the “Hunter-gatherers.”
In my mostly-white Boston suburb, we had only ten trick-or-treaters show up at our doorstep----and every one of them was Chinese, Korean, Indian or black.
All wearing Halloween costumes and festive outfits.
Not one white kid. Apparently their wine-o-clock moms worried too much about "cultural appropriation" and the "problematic" Christan origins of Halloween.
As for those who claim Greed is as American as Apple Pie, I would remind them that the USA is the world's highest contributor of "foreign aid", and we citizens make billions in charitable contributions.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-charitable-countries
Greedy and stingy, my ass.
If the Romans didn't want the barbarians sacking Rome, they shouldn't have built all their roads leading there.
I agree with you Ann - don't use this method.
I recall as a kid there was always one house with an empty bowl and a sign that read "Take one, please leave the rest for other trick-or-treaters." - The bowl was always empty. Of course Buddy Aerie lived next door and he was total a-hole. We all knew he dumped the bowl into his bag.
Just turn off your lights if you're not home for Halloween. Or get someone to come over and hand out candy.
>Ann Althouse said...
What's the argument that this was "theft"? The candy was put out for the taking and the children were challenged to think for themselves about how to handle the situation vis a vis other children. The homeowner had already relinquished the stash, for his/her own benefit (not answering the door). It was just a question of which kids would get it. These kids followed the old finders-keepers/first-come-first-served approach. The kids who arrived to find nothing were not victims of theft. They were never owners.<
Oh please...what a bunch of sophistic piffle. This isn't a courtroom. This is a bunch of people contemplating a straightforward situation practically and with a modicum of awareness of basic social protocol. And they know that these thieves took what they shouldn't - more than their share - from the homeowner and from the kids to follow. And they generally call taking what everyone knows you shouldn't take "theft." Save the esoteric law school convolutions about the term for a law school classroom.
Wow, no cruel neutrality on this issue. You're seriously going to condemn these homeowners without knowing anything about their situation?
Is this how YOU raised your kids to act? Why do you see the need to make excuses for bad behavior?
There's a foreign language being spoken. Other cultures don't necessarily comprehend our "honor system". In particular, people who have experienced hardships are less inclined to think twice about their actions.
One bucket with the good stuff for little kids, one bucket of the cheap, no-good stuff for teen agers. Keeps the teens from coming back for more.
The tragedy of the commons. The tragedy of the common people.
These wise latinas gonna be wide latinas after stuffing their pie holes with all that free americano sucre.
@cassandra lite: "Ojai, CA"
Hollywood millionaires in their country homes and bionic people likely don't need to steal books. Some of the Hollywood people may not even known how to read.
https://bionic.fandom.com/wiki/Ojai,_California
... and huddle in a back room ...
Interesting choice of words. We sat in our den, which is in the back, and watched TV. We were cuddling but I don't think we were huddling.
"Or have the courage to turn off the porch light and huddle in a back room and celebrate the end of the holiday you no longer believe in."
I did turn off the porch light and I still had two groups of trick or treaters come and ring my doorbell after 9 PM. (That's the first time that's ever happened and I blame the parents.)
You need to stop making excuses for bad behavior by parents. (Which is passed on to their children.)
You didn't seriously believe that bullshit article by that "scientist" a while ago that said that people have no free will???
If you excuse bad behavior; you're endorsing it.
It's as simple as that.
And what's this "celebrate the end of the holiday you no longer believe in" stuff? Do you actually know what Halloween represents? I suspect not. I think that you think that it's all about giving kids free stuff, but that's not what it is. Halloween is a holiday where we embrace our own mortality and dress up in costumes to express ourselves as individuals.
In Latino culture it's the night before The Day of the Dead. All Hollow's Eve.
It's also a way that we prepare our children to eventually face death. We give them candy (pleasurable energy food) on All Hollow's Eve and then, the next, day that is all gone.
They may be dressing up as super heroes and Disney princesses now, but there will come a time, when they watch the Halloween movies, and realize that this is all about death and how we deal with it.
Everyone talks about "celebrating life" but it is also important to give Death his due.
Jenny said...
" Now I have a bucket full of candy I don't want to eat."
That's why you always buy candy that you would want to eat. - Halloween 101.
AZ Bob:
Could this video have been a trap to smear law-abiding illegal aliens?
Unless that was humor, why use an oxymoron as a question?
***
As to bowls of candy, that's standard down here and the kids only take a piece or two.
Crack is right, it's a cultural difference. Also the reason we don't have smash and grabs and all that other shit.
Candy is cheap as hell now. Who really needs to do this? Unless it was some fancy European candy or something. I just don't see why anyone needs to do this for some stale Kit Kat bars.
70 years ago in a small town of 25,000 people in Washington State all the kids went out trick or treating. An older couple a block or two away from my home made the kids come into their living room and bob for apples. If you couldn't capture an apple, no treat for you!
These days anybody who did that would probably be looking at ten years in the slammer for felony child abuse.
I'm baffled by the references to kids. Those are adults leading the charge.
Well, now the home owner, or tenant, knows exactly what some of their neighbors are like. What they look like, etc. They can now plan how they should respond to then in the future.
I was in Britain about twelve years ago and all the rural B and Bs complained about theft of anything left in the yard.
I've seen a number of these lately. Enough to think they're all staged. FAKE!
I have a 97-year-old father living in a neighborhood with lots of kids. I have been helping him hand out candy on Halloween for years. Not wanting to disappoint the kids or expose my dad to COVID at Halloween in 2020, I put out a plastic pumpkin filled with candy bars and a sign telling the kids to please take one. As far as I could tell, the kids did just that as I checked it periodically to see if it needed refilling. We are back to personally handing out candy. I think we did the smart thing and are not lazy.
It seems clearly staged. The lighting is perfect, the action is all in the frame, the conduct is slapstick rather than furtive, etc. Besides, candy is so cheap and so plentiful these days, and unattended bowls are so common, that there just no incentive for a family to legitimately go crazy like this.
This is how people treat the Palestinians.
I'm going to stop short of saying that it's okay to stab these people to death.
As usual, Crack is FOS on this subject. Some parts of Europe (notably, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Slovenia and small towns in other places) were that way 20 or 30 years ago, but that was when there was cultural homogeneity before the migrant hordes descended on the continent. I found Japan the same way for the same reason - they don't import other people's problems. In the mid 90's when I was working in Varde, Denmark, I saw a couple of bicycles sitting next to a bus stop that had been sitting there for at least a week. I asked my Danish colleague about it, he said they belonged to neighbors who were on vacation and they would pick them up when they returned. I found that remarkable, but you probably couldn't do that in Varde today. When I was living in Spain several years ago every business and residence had "gypsy bars" on the windows and every standalone house had a wall around it. A neighbor and I were standing on the street talking one day when the mailman came riding down the street on his Vespa and checking car doors to see if they were locked as he went. The neighbor said the cultural norm in Spain is if your car or house is unlocked its contents are fair game. Once when we were riding from the airport in Barcelona to our hotel, our cab driver gave us a five-minute spiel on avoiding gypsy picket pockets, which Barcelona is full of. We thought we were being very careful, but I still had someone try to pick my pocket coming up the escalator out of the subway station. A friend who had taken the stairs because the escalator was packed watched the whole thing unfold. There were three men working as a team, one at the top of the escalator who dropped a lighter and fumbled around like he was trying to pick it up while all the time the causing the people behind him, including me, to get pressed together. That's when the gypsy tried to pick my pocket. Standing behind me was a man with an open bag shopping bag that the pickpocket intended to drop it into. The thief was foiled by my friend at the top of the escalator who shouted to me and caused me to turn in time to catch both the thief and his bag man in the act. Another time when we were coming out of the train station in Cologne Germany a thief cut the strap on my wife's shoulder bag - he didn't get it because my wife held on to bag and screamed which caused me and several bystanders to chase the thief into an alley where he disappeared. Thieves target tourists because they know that, even if caught, you won't be around to testify in court when the case eventually comes to trial. And they prefer Americans because we are relatively rich and naive regarding pickpockets, and don't kid yourself, they can spot you a mile away because of your dress and American accent. Plus, Americans don't carry "murses" ("man purses") or shoulder bags like European men do - those bags are specifically intended to hold any valuables you don't want stolen from your person. I had two of them before I left Europe 5 years later. On the other hand, you don't generally have to worry about your personal safety because violent crime is rare as compared to the US, primarily because there are few gangs and the underclass is better policed. Europeans all over just don't put up with the kind of street violence that occurs regularly in US cities. However, just like the property crime increase with the migrant influx from North Africa, assaults and rapes and strong-armed robbery are also on the rise. Bottom line is if you want to experience European culture you had better do it soon because it isn't going to be the same in a few years. When the wife and I were in Florence earlier this year we were surprised at how things had changed for the worse as compared to the last time we were there in 2015.
Where I live, in NJ....one year, I wasn't able to open the door because of foot surgery, and hubby wasn't home. We were SHOCKED that we had candy left in the bowl by our front door. This year, many in my town complained that their bowls were stolen...not just the candy.
I just brought over my ton of candy I had left to my neighbors, hidden in a brown bag, taped up so they can decide when and if they want to give it to their kids. We had a LOT left over, and I don't want to eat it myself. Worst turnout EVER in the 20 years I have been here.
Blogger Ann Althouse said...
Shame on the lazy adults who lured children into taking more than there share.
"Your Honor, that bowl of candy was an attractive nuisance, and it's unsupervised placement directly led to my client's eventual life of mischief, mopery, and type-2 Diabetes."
In all seriousness though, while I am minorly disappointed in the kids emptying the bowl of candy, I must must confess that I as a child did the same thing once or twice. That being said, my own delinquency wasn't a universal predictor of future child behavior. There has been a few years where I have just left out a big bowl of candy with a sign of please take one, when I had other things I needed to do at the time and couldn't be constantly answering the door. In all those times, (which may have only been 3 or 4), never once was the bowl empty. It had always been mostly, but still only partially empty.
I feel like Halloween is supposed to be a community holiday. It shouldn't just be about kids dressing up and getting candy, it should be about adults in the neighborhood seeing those kids and interacting with those children. Things like that help everyone feel like they are in a neighborhood or community rather than just a shared, small geographical area that other people live in as well.
We had a to be somewhere one Halloween in our old house, and left a big bowl of cheap stuff out.
When we came home we caught a gaggle of teens coming off the porch, one of them carrying the little wooden Black (ha!) cat figure my wife had attached to the door. We let her keep it, and were thankful for the lesson in what shitheads some of our neighbors were--especially the folks in the rental duplexes behind.
The bowl was empty too, but we don't whether it was all gone after the first visitors or not.
We stay dark now.
When I was trick or treating in early 50's, Jim Burns and his older group of teens(and many small groups) used to sit in Kings Street Park and wait until you were all done tricking and treating and then come down and steal your bags of stuff.You learned to not go near that area if you wanted to keep what you got.We also went out sometimes a week before the actual night to beg for candy and usually got a few takers.We learned to travel in groups as able as the thugs were ,Lifes a bitch and then you die.We used take our grandkids to the 2 block long indoor FLEA MARKET where all the 100's of vendors pass out candy while you walk thru the area.Its over by 6:00 pm.Today kids can just get strapped and dare ya to take their candy,the times they are always a changin.Trick or Treat Moth$& F$*$@r.
I've seen that back in the day.
People in the house aren't home. They're not hiding or scared or any of that. They went out to a party or something. And they left a big pile of candy and a sign. "Please take just one" or some damn thing.
I think we took four or five, maybe. Definitely more than one. so law-breakers, maybe, but not cookie monsters. Calmly selected the best candy and left the scraps for the peasants.
One Halloween these teenagers showed up -- no costumers -- trying to get free candy. And I was on the door and I'm giving them shit. "What are you supposed to be? Slackers? Good costume!"
Ann,
What's the argument that this was "theft"? The candy was put out for the taking and the children were challenged to think for themselves about how to handle the situation vis a vis other children. The homeowner had already relinquished the stash, for his/her own benefit (not answering the door). It was just a question of which kids would get it. These kids followed the old finders-keepers/first-come-first-served approach. The kids who arrived to find nothing were not victims of theft. They were never owners.
Clearly a law professors approach. The term "stealing" was in use before statutory law. In common parlance, this was stealing. It violated community expectations. No court case here, for the reasons you cite. But that doesn't make it not stealing. From the other kids who come later.
the Joe Biden costumers are hilarious
little kids falling down and needing secret service agents to help them walk
smart ass punks!
On a bright note the trick or treaters were white so we didn’t have to endure the racial musings of dopey Althouse commenters.
Toilet paper in trees used to be a thing.
What happened to the USA?!
used to be the kids were little Mafiosos running around, with "tricks" and shit for the houses that didn't have candy. It was a protection racket, basically.
There is no try Halloween.
There is only hand out candy or lose all candy.
What we're seeing is a Socialist Halloween.
An Equitable Halloween would start with an empty bowl and take from or give candy to kids based on the elaborateness of their costumes.
A sign next to the bowl should read: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.
Of course the people doling out the equity should be seen taking a reasonable share for themselves.
Blogger Ice Nine said...
"Oh please...what a bunch of sophistic piffle. This isn't a courtroom. This is a bunch of people contemplating a straightforward situation practically and with a modicum of awareness of basic social protocol. And they know that these thieves took what they shouldn't - more than their share - from the homeowner and from the kids to follow. And they generally call taking what everyone knows you shouldn't take "theft." Save the esoteric law school convolutions about the term for a law school classroom."
Thank you.
Everyone puts out bowls in our area. We do 2, one dedicated for non peanut candy. This has never been a problem. Most people have dog(s) and don’t want to open the door. One of us tries to stay at home but this is perfectly normal in sane neighborhoods.
And yes those parents are immiy
Trick or treat: The treat was that the women got a couple of handfuls of cheap candy. The trick was that they achieved a certain amount of internet fame as rapacious candy looters. It's all in keeping with the spirit of Halloween. Halloween isn't supposed to have any of that Xmas good will to all men crap. Halloween is that time of the year when you're supposed to get in touch with your inner devil. Both the homeowner and parents let their dark side flash and illumined the proper way to celebrate the holiday.
What? They left the bowl?
I have small children I go trick or treating with, and so cannot be home to dispense candy to trick-or-treaters. Thus I leave a bowl out with candy and a sign requesting trick-or-treaters only take one.
This system hasn’t failed me yet, but if somebody cleaned the bowl out I wouldn’t be upset. I would still however think very lowly of the adults/kids that took everything for themselves the moment that there was no consequence in doing so.
Ima just put a huge empty bowl out front from now on.
And I too wonder about 'believing' in Halloween. I don't believe in Halloween any more than I believe in Labor Day. They are just days set off, and will take place irregardless of belief.
Europe (Paris, the one in France) is the only place I've been where I know I was targeted by pickpockets and cutpurses. They were incompetent.
Sure. When the food gets passed around at the Thanksgiving table, screw everyone else! Just dump all of it on YOUR plate. And if someone comes in to work with a box of donuts for people, grab them all for yourself. Eff this sharing business, this "leave some for others" crap.
A lot of people leave bowls out but I tell my kids one piece is all they get to take. And guess what? They only take one piece.
Ann Althouse:
Yeah, you're right. It is perfect. Shame on the lazy adults who lured children into taking more than there share.
Althouse using her mind-reading skills again to determine the real perpetrator. Not the lazy adults who lured them into the charge.
Your thoughts on someone entering your home and taking stuff simply because you were having a backyard BBQ and your front door wasn't locked?
Ice Nine:
Save the esoteric law school convolutions about the term for a law school classroom.
She can't now... hence.
Tomcc:
Other cultures don't necessarily comprehend our "honor system". In particular, people who have experienced hardships are less inclined to think twice about their actions.
Not only a display of low expectations but one I've found to be untrue. I've known more honest po' po' folk than I have wealthier ones.
Ann Althouse:
"Who uses this method? Either do Halloween or don't!"
Either do Halloween as I would have you do it or don't!
Well, I have set out a big bowl of candy in my past. When my military husband wasn't around and we lived on base, I set out the bowl and took our children trick-or-treating. The sign said one per person, and maybe military people are more upstanding, but the bowl wasn't completely empty when we returned. I gave the rest out individually. So I understand why someone would use a bowl and don't judge the person for doing so.
Next year, just put out one giant chocolate bar and entertain yourself with the scrum.
This video was a setup as are most videos online.
I love giving out candy to the kids, I look forward to it. The parents and kids put much effort into costume I can put effort into treats. It's about kids.
"What are you teaching -- did you teach -- your children about succeeding in America? Take all you can get your hands on or leave plenty so that other people's children get an equal share?"
If I had children, I would want to teach them to earn their success and not to steal.
"There's a foreign language being spoken. Other cultures don't necessarily comprehend our "honor system". In particular, people who have experienced hardships are less inclined to think twice about their actions."
If you're out looking for candy on Halloween, you have at least a basic understanding of how things work. You'd no doubt notice that at the houses where people are present and handing it out, you get a piece or two, not a whole bowl. As well, look at the 0:12 second mark of the video, where the woman on the left in black looks up quickly to see if she's being watched while she's working on emptying the basket. She knows what she's doing.
WINK had a ring video posted of a Florida bear stealing candy from a Halloween bowl. What was remarkable is that the bear took only a single piece candy and left the rest behind.
Owner is country music songer cody tate. So this was a well heeled neighborhood
Althouse in full leftwing mode- the thieves aren't at fault, the providers are for not considering the feelings of the thieves. Seriously, you should write for the Babylon Bee. No one does effete snobbery like you do.
When I was a kid trick or treating, we would knock on the doors of the houses and virtually all of the adults would give each of us a handful of candy. We would just open our bags and they would drop them in. In NYC, there were years I would not sign up on the sheet in the lobby of our apartment building indicating I would have candy for kids out trick and treating. Thus, they bypassed me. In more recent years, we would sign up and put out a small table outside our apartment door, on which we placed a plastic bucket full of candy. There was never a time we would find a completely empty bucket the next morning.
Now, in our new (suburban) locale, we have just had two Halloweens. Each time, we sat outside on our porch and greeted the kids personally. Nearly all of them--a very few excepted--were very young and were accompanied by their parents...all of whom instructed their children to "take just one." Given my own experience of being given a handful of treats at each house we visited, I find this "only one" stingy and and even a bit puritanical on the part of the parents. To my mind, getting a GOB of candy at each house is part of Halloween! Halloween is excess!
I do enjoy seeing all the little kids in their costumes, often shy or even too young to understand what is happening. It's very sweet (no pun intended) and keeps a smile on my face all evening.
The bowl is America. The trick or treaters are the world. The people who put the bowl out unsupervised are the open borders US government.
Wow! 93 posts as of now on leaving out Halloween candy treats. Meanwhile there is a war in Gaza, there is a war in Ukraine that may lead to World War III, the economy is tanking, crime is rampant in our big cities, yet the most commented tag here is Halloween. No wonder our country is going to hell.
I can blame the lazy homeowner or blame the greedy trick or treaters or blame both or blame neither.
I will blame neither. They both acted from self-interest and got what they wanted. It was win-win.
Tomorrow’s porch pirates!
you don't want your Halloween candy robbed blind by greedy mexicans, hand it out yourself slacker!"
"If you don't want your car stolen, get a fucking kill switch installed slacker!"
"If you don't want genderbender pervert shit taught to your first grader, start your own school slacker!"
There's not much as infuriating as someone justifying misery and social dysfunction as the deserved fate of those who won't adapt to the new abnormal.
A "common-pool" candy bowl is used to teach the tragedy of the commons in introductory economics classes. It used to be sheep herding or something. Now it's candy bowls.
"In Europe, you can set anything out and nobody will touch it...."
This qualifies as one of the stupidest things I have read recently, and that is saying something.
If I did this, and my mother found out, she would have either made me go back to the homeowner to return the candy and apologize -- or would have taken the candy away from me as punishment for acting poorly in a social situation. (My dad probably would have eaten a few pieces).
And, of course, notwithstanding the ring video setup of this one, many people who leave to T&T with their children leave a bucket of candy behind. Some put up a sign, others expect MOST of the kids to know better than to empty the bucket. But those kids who did empty the bucket, they "came out on top", eh, Ann? Many people left out buckets either as mentioned previously or at the end of the night with a sign "Happy Halloween. Please don't knock. Baby sleeping."
I MIGHT take two pieces of candy. IF they were small. But not a whole bunch. Because I would know that was WRONG.
MarcusB. THEOLDMAN
"But those kids who did empty the bucket, they "came out on top", eh, Ann?"
I'm not saying that they are good kids. I am just observing how people strive to make their own kids into people who will win at the expense of others. I'm not saying how I parented or advising anyone on how to parent. In fact, I certainly would not tell my kids to take all the candy they can get, but I'm trying to talk about much more than candy!
"The bowl is America. The trick or treaters are the world. The people who put the bowl out unsupervised are the open borders US government."
Exactly.
And who is more to blame here?
Two-eyed Jack said...
"If the Romans didn't want the barbarians sacking Rome, they shouldn't have built all their roads leading there."
That made me laugh really HARD.
"I certainly would not tell my kids to take all the candy they can get, but I'm trying to talk about much more than candy!"
Sometimes in other posts when people talk about something other than the posted topic, you criticize them for not staying on topic.
How is one to know which way you want to go?
"And who is more to blame here?"
Where? In the "Halloween" scenario or the "open borders" one?
In the Halloween example, I'd say that the homeowner wouldn't put out an unsupervised bowl unless he was confident the trick and treaters would act responsibly, so the blame goes to the greedy trick and treaters.
In the open borders example, the blame goes to the government as virtually every example of offering "free stuff" results in increases in A) demand for more free stuff and B) fraud. And everybody knows this.
"No wonder our country is going to hell."
"And who is more to blame here?"
Oprah?
jaydub said...
"As usual, Crack is FOS on this subject."
We finally get a thread that's not about race, in any way, and look what happens. Fucking jaydub shows up. OK, I'm wrapping my head around you:
"As usual," I'm FOS on the subject,...of my own experience living in Europe. "As usual." This is now the new subject the black guy can't get right: What I saw, and what happened to me. I've apparently fucked that up, not just many times, but every time.
I know I have a lotta critics on this blog, for a lot of bullshit, but that's GOOD. It's totally insane, but I like it. Tell me - Can a person just speak colloquially around here, without being called "full of shit"? How much would I have had to go into, about the statement "In Europe, you can set anything out and nobody will touch it," to avoid this fate? A detailed list of every specific item, time, and place, where I saw this to be true? Or can you get your thick head out of your clueless but arrogant, attention-seeking ass, and accept I was just sitting here, blowing smoke with you guys, and not trying to be the fucking Encyclopedia Britannica?
Like I said to Ann, I didn't say there ain't no crime. I said there was a cultural difference. Hell, I can go into a lot of ghettos around the world, and be totally safe and accepted, while you guys would (most likely) only be "Marks". (Maybe not Meade. I think Meade might be alright.) That's a cultural difference, too.
The cool thing is, I'm also the kind of guy who's drank beers with white guys in camouflage with rifles, who couldn't stop *defiantly* saying Nigger for hours, before they got all self-conscious about how they were behaving, and not only stopped but, later, individually apologized. That also happened with a helicopter repairman in Utah, who makes his own bullets. He now considers me one of his good friends. Without me ever saying a word about it. What was I gonna say? They were white guys with guns. Am I FOS about that, too? "As usual."
Look, all I'm trying to say is, that's the kind of guy I am - we're here just shooting the shit - and you're the kind of guy who knows how to fuck-up a party.
Next year the homeowner can put a video display at the door with that clip playing continuously.
And no candy.
I cannot believe how wrong you are on your post. You are correct about the idea of "tragedy of the commons" in which in this case the commons was the candy. Everyone knows you do not take all the candy - Illegals or not. in response to a comment above it is coddling and creating a sense of privilege for yourself to say that illegals do not know right from wrong. Now, sadly, in todays world it should be expected that people will steal it all. Over the years I have seen cases of all races taking all the candy - yet this one is so voracious, Piranha would be impressed. I believe last year a kid took all the candy and was caught on video and his family made him bring all of it and all of his other candy back. Public shaming is a good thing.
It has been mentioned that you can leave things out over in Europe - having lived over there for many years I can tell you that might be true for a small village in which everyone knows everyone but for the most part Europe is just like the US - if they think they can get away with it people will take it all. Much like doing so in a small town in the US - you know you are going to get yelled at.
In this case it is not the kids doing it, it is the parents, adults. They might be illegals, might not. Many Americans speak Spanish. What they are though are morally lacking. While the candy was left out to be taken it is implied internationally that you take one, maybe two. Some call this a trap - shame on you. While you set traps for rats and other vermin this isnt a trap. You have to lack morals for it to be a trap, and these people fell into it because of their inability to know right from wrong.
As to the homeowner - most of us do chose not to participate - both for health and because of how so many kids have lost any sort of manners. Most of the rowdy kids are teenagers and I believe they should not be out there in the first place. So this person wanted to provide what looks like top candy but for whatever reason was not out or waiting at the door for the kids. congrats, shame them and they will join me and just turn off the lights.
The original video, with subtitles.
Ann Althouse said...
"And who is more to blame here?"
The dumbshit that left the bowl unsupervised.
This might be the worst take in my 20 years of following Althouse! Sheesh. We used to leave a bowl and a “take one” sign because I always took the kids out for Halloween and my wife would help her elderly parents do Halloween at their house. This is not the fault of the homeowner.
You clearly never lived in a ghetto, Althouse. After three years of watching adults in southeast Atlanta shoving kids off my $19K house's porch and taking fistfuls of candy while demanding more, I stopped giving candy to anyone.
Call it the Broken Halloween Public Contract.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/2468169630030718
Very "she shouldn't have worn such a short dress" energy on this one, Professor.
We expect people to restrain their baser impulses all the time; we expect people to behave well even when they might find it personally fulfilling to transgress.
Or anyway we used to.
If the point is that we're no longer a high-trust society and everyone needs to recognize and adjust to that, fine.
It's odd to hear that from the Nice People who usually insist we rightwingers are heartless bastards who care more about enforcing laws, rules, and norms than making (endless) exceptions for "the children" or "oppressed minorities" or whoever.
About 9 PM I put out the bowl with the remaining candy and lock the door. What happens after that I don't care. This year there was even some left the next morning. Where are those greedy teenagers when you need them? Now I have to fight temptation.
This, from Tik Tok:
"What's the argument that this was "theft"? The candy was put out for the taking and the children were challenged to think for themselves about how to handle the situation vis a vis other children. The homeowner had already relinquished the stash, for his/her own benefit (not answering the door). It was just a question of which kids would get it. These kids followed the old finders-keepers/first-come-first-served approach. The kids who arrived to find nothing were not victims of theft. They were never owners.
Clearly a law professors approach. The term "stealing" was in use before statutory law. In common parlance, this was stealing. It violated community expectations. No court case here, for the reasons you cite. But that doesn't make it not stealing. From the other kids who come later."
_____________________________________________________________
Legally, there's really no theft. If anyone tried to accuse the kids, they'd just say they were being set-up, but once again, legally, it's really not entrapment.
Stupid Homeowner, and stupid kids. Can't sue for stupidity.
No crime in Europe? The only crimes we have been victim to happened in Europe. A house break in and theft, and a stolen car.
Nobody said "no crime in Europe."
I thwarted some pickpockets in Paris, but the only serious crimes I've suffered have been here at home--two burglaries (at the old house--here we've only had some car ransackings) and vandalism or tool theft.
In Europe in '17 and '19 I wore a money belt with important stuff on my chest under clothes, and my wife only carried a small bag with nothing vital in it. We carried little cash and few cards.
The pickpockets were in Montmartre, on a side street with few doorways or foot traffic, on a slightly curved incline. I kept my head on a swivel and took my place a pace or so behind my wife. I found that the best tactic, as I could move around behind and check my 6 easily, and gauge when I might need to push ahead a little.
It didn't hurt that she's rather small ('cept dat butt, y'all) and I'm rather large.
Criminal foreigners? Scofflaw migrants?
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