It's 10:04 on Thursday night, and I'm about halfway done with my AP US History homework. (Aside: It took me about two weeks to figure out that APUSH was an acronym for that. Sad, but, you know, it looks like A PUSH. Total gibberish. End Aside.) I'm behind in every part of my life at the moment, so I need some distraction, so I'm going to ramble.
Halloween is next Tuesday, so why is it that I'm already seeing Christmas turn up everywhere? It's ridiculous that we spend two months advertising for one day. It's not even about anything anymore.
Halloween is a bizarre holiday. It's sole purpose is to glorify everything that oughtn't be glorified. I do use it as an excuse to wear something that I always wanted to wear to school to school. This year, I'm planning to wear my kimono I got in Japan in 5th grade. Maybe I'll wear Tanner's yukata instead- same look, less fragile. Less... silk. Anyway, usually I just wear some old ballet costume. My best one yet was last year, when I made a tutu out of old newspapers. Too bad it melted in the rain. And that I couldn't sit down. And that I crinkled when I walked. But it looked awesome. (Word of advise: don't ever wear old pointe shoes all day. You will regret it for months.) It seems that I'm feeling parenthetical today. Ok, back on subject. Even though I dress up, I don't think that Halloween should be as big a holiday as it is. We dress kids up as personifications of evil and send them out to demand 'treats', threatening to 'trick' them unless they are placated with solidified sugar that rots their teeth out of their head. It's like roasting marshmallows. We give kids pointy sticks, put highly flamible objects on the end and tell them to stick them in an open fire. Why don't we just give them knives and guns to play with? It'd be more efficient. On what level is Halloween at all edifying to anyone? There's enough violence, hatred, anarchy, and literal glorification of evil in my school already. I know that the capital-C Church officially disapproves of Halloween, replacing it with thousands of "Harvest Festivals". What the carp does that have to do with anything we ought to be supporting as earthly ambasadors of an eternal savior? It's just a euphemism, another version of the same thing, except for ghosts and witches the decorations are pumpkins (uncarved), squash, and various autumnal fauna. It doesn't accomplish anything but cloistering mini-church goers into thinking that everything not put on by their youth group is the devil. When they grow up a little and start seeing things not church- sponsored or even approved that are way cooler, more meritous, and more interesting than the auditorium/sanctuary with orange construction-paper leaves taped to the wall and a potluck set up on folding tables, they will start to question everything about not only the church, but what it taught them too.
4 comments:
I like the idea about free dispensation of guns and knives...
On a serious note, I think you are making too much of Halloween. Maybe at one time it had something to do with violence, hatred and anarchy, but right now, it is little more than a Hallmark holiday; existing only so that clerks like me can persuade you to buy candy. And so I can get a casual day at work ;)
I agree. Yes you went overboard.....that is the point of a blog. To blow things out of proportion. OK maybe it isn't the point but it sure is fun! Everything you said is very true though. It's quite sad.
Sure, the majority of the population just thinks Halloween is just harmless fun, but I would argue that that is only because we get so desensitized to it that we don't even know what we're doing or why we're doing it. Most holidays have ended up that way, but I think it's a good idea to be reminded every now and again.
AP US History... sounds pretty hard. I decided to take AP Bio instead. That's pretty hard also. AP anything sounds hard. Lots of reading and studying and more reading after you finish studying. and then after you finish reading that extra part of reading, you have to study that part you read before because your're gonna need to know that for tomorrow's quiz.
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